<html><head></head><body><div class="ydpe532de7byahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div id="ydpe532de7byiv2602004992"><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;" class="ydpe532de7byiv2602004992ydp4b59c98eyahoo-style-wrap"><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">EXCLUSIVE King Charles buys house next door to Camilla's Wiltshire bolthole for £3million (3 times market price)... to stop it being turned into a rowdy wedding venue</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">643 comments - 09 Mar 2025</div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:16px;">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/article-14477279/charles-house-camilla-wiltshire-wedding-venue.html</span></font><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The King has averted a security crisis by buying a £3million house next to his wife's country retreat amid fears it could become a rowdy wedding venue.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">For 30 years Raymill, the Wiltshire bolthole Camilla refused to part with after marrying Charles, has been her cherished sanctuary away from the public glare.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">But a royal source has revealed that a proposal to sell The Old Mill next door and turn it into a wedding venue has caused her 'great anxiety'.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Another source familiar with the plans said: 'Think of it – dozens of wedding guests carousing every weekend just the other side of her fence.'</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Last month, with concerns growing over the potential risk to Camilla's safety, the King intervened at the eleventh hour to block the sale and buy The Old Mill with private funds.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Its boundary fence stands just 30ft from Raymill. A friend of Camilla's told The Mail on Sunday there was 'an imperative' to act for Camilla's protection and privacy because a potential buyer was seeking to 'maximise commercial use of the property as a short-term holiday rental and wedding venue'.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The Old Mill will now be installed with a 'security-vetted tenant' who will ensure it is put to 'appropriate' use.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"> King Charles and Queen Camilla are handed adorable Valentine's Day cards from fans in Middlesbrough </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">But a royal source said: 'The new arrangement is a pragmatic solution, being both a sound financial investment and a way of maintaining Her Majesty's privacy, protection and continued enjoyment of her much-loved home, without any public funds being used.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'I know how grateful and relieved she is, not least given all the additional stresses and anxieties of the past year.'</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Camilla has endured a difficult 18 months. After the whirlwind of her husband's coronation in 2023, she began last year coping with his devastating cancer diagnosis.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Friends say Camilla 'can be herself' at Raymill. </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">It is where she retreated after the state funeral and mourning period that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022 and where she spends as much time as she can when not required to be at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire and Clarence House in London, the official homes she shares with Charles.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">More than ever, say friends, she has been grateful for the diversion Raymill House in Reybridge, near Lacock, brings.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'She has her horses, she walks her dogs and she loves spending time with her family,' said one friend.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'This business with her neighbour was frankly the last thing she needed.'</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The King bought The Old Mill, Wiltshire, after a proposal to turn it into a wedding venue </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Property developer Phil Clayton, 60, bought The Old Mill seven years ago for £675,000 and immediately began major renovations which put him at loggerheads with Camilla and other neighbours.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">In the most contentious building work, Mr Clayton converted a former garage in the grounds into a £160-a-night holiday apartment, Pear Tree Loft, which he advertised on Airbnb and other rental sites.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">To the dismay of Camilla and her security team, it was just 200ft from her front door.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">It was booked up throughout last year and gave tourists from Europe, the US and Australia the opportunity to glimpse the Queen and use her private access road, which she shares with Mr Clayton.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Mr Clayton's wife Trudy, 58, wrote to the local council to protest at complaints about the apartment.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">She said that she found it difficult to understand why people unaffected 'by the improvements we have carried out at The Old Mill' wasted so much time complaining about them.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">She added: 'I find it rather sad on their behalf. Their time and energy could be used for a much more worthy cause.'</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Friends of Camilla's said selling the property to a developer who wanted to build a wedding venue was the last straw. </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'The situation was becoming intolerable,' said one.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Raymill and The Old Mill stand alongside a quiet stretch of the river Avon as it meanders through ancient farmland.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The Old Mill dates from the Norman Conquest while the nearby village of Lacock is recorded in the Domesday Book.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Costume dramas such as Pride and Prejudice and The Cranford Chronicles, as well as scenes for Harry Potter movies, have been filmed there.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The Claytons' renovation project included adding new outbuildings and an Italian-style courtyard with olive trees and lavender.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">They upgraded the river hydropower plant which produced their mains electricity.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">They also submitted planning applications to increase the size of several bedrooms, a lounge and dining room, renovate the interior and exterior of the property, construct a glass passageway and replace the garage with a two-storey gym.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Three times Camilla submitted letters of objection to Wiltshire planners, via the head of the Highgrove estate. Printed on HRH-headed notepaper, the objections cited fears of an increased flood risk to Raymill. However, she was overruled.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Charles's intervention means the 400-yard private road leading to the two properties is now under Camilla's control</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Camilla bought Raymill in 1995 for £850,000 following her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles. </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Built in the Italianate style around 1860, it boasts 12 acres of gardens and orchards and has a secluded, walled swimming pool said to be much loved by her grandchildren.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Camilla also had problems with The Old Mill's previous owner, Ralph Adams, who died in 2017.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">She once objected to her dressing room being overlooked from his land.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Relations between the neighbours deteriorated rapidly in 2006 when Mr Adams complained about her overgrown hedge. </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Binmen had refused to reverse down their shared drive, claiming the hedge was 'out of control'.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Mr Adams was told to drag his bin to the nearest main road.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">The retired sand merchant said at the time: 'Walking 400 yards is hard for me but she can get a flunky to do it.'</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Antagonism deepened that same year when Camilla won planning permission to knock down outbuildings and build new premises for security staff.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'There are planning laws for the select and other rules for the remainder of us,' said Mr Adams.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Advertisement</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">As one source put it, as well as 'lancing a boil', buying The Old Mill will help to safeguard Camilla's future security.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">If she outlives the King it is likely that she will permanently retreat to Raymill rather than a royal palace.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Charles's intervention, meanwhile, means the 400-yard private road leading to the two properties is now under Camilla's control.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">Previously, while she had a legal right to use the road, it belonged to the owners of The Old Mill.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">This effectively prevented her restricting access to the public, as visitors to her neighbours could come and go as they pleased.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">One of her friends said: 'Phil Clayton has spent a load of money on The Old Mill – and I mean a lot.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;">'I can understand Camilla wanting it to improve her privacy. But, more importantly, she'll want control of the access road which is on that property's land.</div><div style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><br><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>