By Frank Lucasale 
King Charles III and Queen Camilla celebrated 20 years of marriage in April 2025, so it’s safe to say they’re doing something right. That said, there’s no denying that some aspects of their union are a little unusual — like the fact that they don’t live together full time. In an exclusive interview with Nicki Swift, celebrity love coach and body language expert Nicole Moore opened up about the pros and cons of their arrangement.
Though Charles and Camilla do live together some of the time, they also do their own thing on occasion — and not just because they’re trying to make the most of all the residences under the king’s name. As it turns out, Camilla has never given up her private, non-royal house. Jack Stooks, a former member of the king’s landscaping staff, told JeffBet, “Before Charles and Camilla got married, they agreed Camilla would keep her home. The separate space was important for them both and their families” (via Express). Among the factors that went into the decision are Camilla’s need for respite from the royal day-to-day. “It’s somewhere she can go with her family and have a laid-back weekend without prying eyes,” Stooks claimed.
Speaking exclusively to Nicki Swift, celebrity love coach Nicole Moore admitted that Charles and Camilla’s arrangement is a little strange, particularly by royal standards. While Moore noted that separate bedrooms certainly aren’t unheard of in royal relationships, she noted that couples have typically remained under the same roof. “Living together has been established as the norm,” she said. Granted, Moore didn’t say the king and queen’s arrangement spelled trouble. However, she did note that for most couples, cohabiting is important for bonding. Moreover, she explained, “Physical distance can sometimes lead to emotional distance.”
Charles and Camilla may miss out on the little things
Expanding on the possible outcome of emotional distance, one potential issue of living apart that Nicole Moore stressed was the lack of “smaller moments of intimacy.” Per Moore, these are the mundane things that foster greater bonding, which include “waking up together, chatting before bed or even spending time together in the same house where there’s no communication but simply the comfort of each other’s presence.”
Of course, the reality of royal life means King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s day-to-day likely doesn’t allow for a whole lot of “normal” activities. In fact, Tina Brown’s “The Palace Papers” made mention of how much Camilla struggled with her now-husband’s routine in the lead-up to their wedding. “He never ate lunch, and breakfasted on the same birdseed and peeled fruit every morning. Punctuality had never been Camilla’s strong suit, but Charles expected her to be ready for engagements at his own regimented pace. When she asked where they were going, he would snap, ‘Haven’t you read the brief?'” Brown wrote.
Add that to the fact that Camilla has admitted to getting fed up with anyone (Charles included) who interrupts her favorite radio show, “The Archers,” it kind of seems as though being together round-the-clock could actually do more harm to the monarch and consort than good. And, it does bear mentioning that in her exclusive conversation with Nicki Swift, Moore did point out than even though it wasn’t generally the norm, “If partners have very different sleep or work schedules, they might also really enjoy having separate residences while married.” Between work engagements and solo listening, both Charles and Camilla like to do their own thing, so we can see how a little bit of space here and there benefits them.
Charles and Camilla’s living arrangement worked for their family
One interesting detail Nicole Moore raised in her exclusive conversation with Nicki Swift is that in cases where a couple already has older children, living apart from one another might actually be for the best. “It may make sense to not move in together until all of the children are out of the house so as not to disturb pre-existing family dynamics,” the love coach explained.
Of course, both Queen Camilla and King Charles III had had children by the time they became an official (read: non-sneaking-around) couple. It’s also no secret that there was a ton of familial turmoil surrounding their relationship. In fact, Katie Nicholl wrote in “Harry and William” that Prince William and Camilla’s daughter Laura Lopes fought a lot early on, with both blaming the other’s parent for the affair and the impact it had on their lives. As for Prince Harry, who lived with his father and stepmother when they first moved in together, he’s also shared that there was some tension. Granted, a lot of that came after he’d moved out. Harry shaded Camilla in “Spare,” complaining that he’d visited home to find she’d converted his bedroom into a dressing room for herself. “I tried not to care. But especially the first time I saw it, I cared,” he admitted (via Page Six).
It’s worth noting that a detail like that would probably (and understandably) have upset the prince no matter when Camilla moved in and he moved out. Even so, something tells us the fact that Camilla wasn’t in her younger stepson’s space all the time probably helped prevent any more drama than was necessary.
Charles is on board with Camilla keeping her own house
Another drawback of not living together? As Nicole Moore exclusively told Nicki Swift, “The public might judge your relationship or automatically assume you’re having issues even when you’re not because many people associate couples living apart with the relationship failing in some way.”
Luckily, in King Charles III and Camilla’s case, it’s pretty clear that’s not the case. In fact, the king is so committed to his wife having her own house that in March 2025, the Daily Mail reported that he’d bought the house next door to hers and planned to rent it out to a “security-vetted tenant.” This, sources who spoke with the outlet explained, was because the owner who had already added an Airbnb unit to the property was selling it, and the prospective buyer had expressed interest in turning it into an events venue. Speaking of all the plans to develop the land, one insider told the Daily Mail, “Think of it — dozens of wedding guests carousing every weekend just the other side of her fence.” Another shared that learning of the prospective new owner’s plans had come as a major blow to the queen, particularly in light of how much she needed a place where she could fully unwind in the wake of Charles’ cancer diagnosis.
Another detail shared in the the outlet’s article is that Camilla’s home might just be her insurance policy. After all, many have wondered what will happen to Camilla if Charles dies first. By having her own home, Camilla won’t have to find a new place to go — she’ll simply go to the house she already knows and loves. And, thanks to her husband’s purchase of the property next door, she won’t have to worry about nosy neighbors, either.