Queen Camilla has quietly transferred ownership of her private Wiltshire residence, Ray Mill House, to members of her family, ending nearly three decades of personal association with the property she bought after her divorce in the mid-1990s.
Land registry records indicate that the house, purchased in 1996 for £850,000, has been registered in the names of her son-in-law Harry Lopes and financier Jake Irwin, who are understood to be acting on behalf of the Queen’s children, Laura Lopes and Tom Parker Bowles.
The property, located in the village of Lacock, has long functioned as a personal retreat for the Queen, offering a degree of separation from public royal life. Camilla lived there for several years following her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles and has spoken warmly of the garden, describing gardening as “the best therapy in the world” during an appearance at the Sandringham Flower Show in 2025. She has also recalled spending considerable time tending vegetables at the house, joking that periods of unusually dry weather had required extensive watering.
The transfer of ownership is believed to reflect a long-standing arrangement within the royal couple’s financial planning. When the King and Queen married, it was reportedly agreed that Camilla would retain the house as a private space away from official royal duties. The monarch himself has also taken steps to secure neighbouring property, purchasing a £3 million home along a private lane adjacent to Ray Mill House using private funds last year.
The change in ownership comes alongside minor planning activity relating to the property. The Queen has applied to Wiltshire Council for permission to remove a cypress tree from the grounds, citing concerns that the tree is deteriorating and restricting light to younger plants nearby. Because the house lies within a designated conservation area, permission is required before any such work can be carried out.
According to the Gazette and Herald, local officials have indicated that the parish council raised no objection to the proposed tree removal. Theo Edge, parish clerk for Lacock Parish Council, said the matter had been considered at a recent meeting and that a representation of no objection had been forwarded to the county authority for final determination.
The planning application, submitted in the name of Her Majesty and completed by a professional tree surgeon, states that the tree shows signs of decline and is shading newer plantings on the property.
The county council is expected to reach a decision on the application by March 11.
Ray Mill House has held particular sentimental value for Camilla’s family. In 2006, her daughter Laura and son-in-law hosted their wedding reception there, reinforcing the home’s role as a private gathering place rather than a public or commercial venue.
Recent reports suggesting a possible sale of the property have been dismissed by sources close to the Queen, who emphasise that the transfer simply formalises arrangements within the family and preserves the house’s role as a private residence rather than converting it into a commercial site.
For the Queen, the decision appears to mark a quiet but practical step in managing personal assets while maintaining the longstanding family connection to a house that has remained part of her life through marriage, divorce and eventual royal elevation.
