The Secret to King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Longstanding Marriage? Separate Bedrooms

To each their own!

King Charles and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot
(Image credit: Getty)

Marriage is tough, and every couple is different and employs different techniques and strategies to make it work. Fraught with controversy though it may at times have been, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s relationship has, indeed, stood the test of time, with the two being in love with one another essentially since the early 1970s, and married for 18 years and counting.

The Daily Express has the secret for what makes their marriage work, and it’s a little unconventional. Charles and Camilla have opted, so far anyway, to not reside in Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the monarch. (They also don’t reside in Windsor Castle, where Her late Majesty spent ample time.) They still call Clarence House home, where they have lived for many years. They also have several other properties they can escape to when they need a break from their work—and, lovingly said, each other. Inside Clarence House, the outlet reports, the couple have three bedrooms: One for the King, one for the Queen, and one they share—which hey, if you can do it, isn’t an entirely bad idea.

King Charles and Queen Camilla at Royal Ascot

(Image credit: Getty)

Married members of the royal family traditionally have separate bedrooms, interestingly enough. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip did (not just in separate bedrooms, but in entirely different wings), as did the Prince and Princess of Wales when they were still living at Kensington Palace. And Charles’ need for his own bed doesn’t boil down to anything sinister—it actually comes down to his health. The King has chronic back pain, and sleeping alone is said to help ease it.

Additionally, royal expert Joshua Rom cites the couple’s hectic schedules for their love of separate bedrooms, adding that they prefer to relax separately. The two sleep apart not just at Clarence House but also their country home, Highgrove; Camilla is said to have her own room there but doesn’t spend a ton of time there, preferring Ray Mill instead, where she has family close by.

Clarence House

Clarence House

(Image credit: Getty)

Highgrove

Highgrove

(Image credit: Getty)

Sleeping separately is reportedly the secret to the King and Queen’s long-lasting marriage, a friend said, because it allows them to have their own designated space and also a shared space for when they want to use it.

King Charles and Queen Camilla at Trooping the Colour

(Image credit: Getty)

“[His Royal Highness] has a room with a double bed, decorated to his own taste, then Camilla has her own room with a double bed, decorated just the way she likes it,” a source said. “In addition, they have a shared bedroom with a double bed that they can use whenever they like. The arrangement suits them perfectly.”

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.