King Charles has spent £3.75 million on a house named The Old Mill beside his Queen Camilla vacation home, Ray Mill, as revealed in newly published documents, offering new material for critics to scrutinize amid his brother Andrew's scandal.
The sum, according to the Daily Mail, is whopping because the last owner paid only £675,000 for the house eight years ago, paling in comparison to what the monarch shelled out.
Notably, Frisca Nominees Ltd – a company set up before the purchase – bought the country retreat, as revealed in land registry files, with Buckingham Palace given as the address in March 2025.
In addition, the two royal staffers, James Chalmers, Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King, and Catherine James, of the Private Secretaries' Office at Buckingham Palace, serve as the company's directors.
An insider shared the reason behind the purchase with the Daily Mail, claiming there were fears that The Old Mill would be bought and turned into a wedding venue.
Therefore, Charles took the first step and tapped into the "private funds" to buy the home with a staggering amount.
Camilla's country retreat, Ray Mill, has been quietly transferred to her children's representatives.
The Queen's son-in-law, Harry Lopes, is representing her daughter, Laura, and the financier Jake Irwin is representing her son, Tom, according to the Daily Mail.
However, an insider warned that such arrangements are not good practice. "It is not best practice in such circumstances for beneficiaries to be trustees themselves."
Meanwhile, Camilla first bought Ray Mill for £850,000 in 1996, shortly after her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles.