Why King Charles and Queen Camilla Are Spending a "Lot of Time Apart" Ahead of Their 20th Wedding Anniversary

Queen Camilla and King Charles are approaching their 20th wedding anniversary, but don't expect them to spend every waking minute together. In fact, one royal expert has suggested the pair actually spends "a lot of time apart."

Charles and Camilla—who tied the knot on April 9, 2005—are reportedly comfortable with alone time. Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, revealed to The Sun's Fabulous, "They actually spend quite a lot of time apart." She continued, "Ray Mill House [in Wiltshire] is Camilla's sort of release from royal life, if you like."

It was recently reported that King Charles spent $3.9 million to buy the house next door to Camilla's private home. It would seem that The King knew just how much his wife valued her privacy, and wanted to help her maintain her sanctuary. "Before she married Charles, she made a pact with him that she would keep Ray Mill House as her bolthole," Seward explained. "She goes every weekend when she can, and she goes during the summer so that she can spend some time with her grandchildren and her children, and it's something that's away from the whole royal world."

Seward also discussed how Charles and Camilla balance the time they spend apart with quality time as a couple. "Quite often she doesn't go to Highgrove [Charles's private home] at all unless she and Charles are entertaining together," Seward said. "She'll just go straight to Ray Mill House and spend the weekend there."

The royal expert noted that Queen Camilla relishes having private time away from the rigmarole of life within the Royal Family. "It's getting away from the restrictions of the security and being surrounded by staff and people doing things for you, which, of course, sounds lovely for all of us," Seward explained.

Noting the importance of Camilla's private home, Seward told the outlet, "I think in her case she needed somewhere where she could actually relax and just be herself, and slope around in dirty jeans if she wanted to, and not be constantly monitored."