King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla return to respective homes for 24 hours of contemplation ahead of Queen's funeral
TETBURY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Days after fronting his royal family’s grief and public tribute over the demise of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III has left London. King Charles and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort have returned to their respective homes as Charles is granted 24 hours to contemplate the death of his mother, who died on Thursday, September 9, aged 96.
The King and Queen Consort were captured making a landing in Camilla's estate in Reybridge near Lacock, Wiltshire at around 4.30 pm, hours after leaving the late Queen’s funeral procession at the Palace of Westminster, a report by Daily Mail says. The royal aircraft of the couple landed in a field next to the Queen’s residence. In contrast to the huge crowd gathered outside Balmoral castle to greet the royal couple, only three people were there at Camilla’s residence to welcome the new King and Queen Consort.
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It is believed that this is the first time when King Charles and Camilla have returned to their respective houses since rushing to Balmoral royal residence after getting a call about the Queen’s deteriorating health. After seeing off his wife at her residence, King Charles drove himself to his home, Highgrove House, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. King chose to drive himself to his house as his residence is just a 30-minutes-drive away from Camilla’s Wiltshire estate. He was escorted by The Met Police's Special Escort Group.
King Charles has owned his Highgrove House for a long time now. He bought it back in 1980, from Maurice Macmillan, a Conservative MP, and son of the former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. The King has been granted a day of privacy and reflection following the long hectic week in which he saw the demise of his beloved mother and ascended the throne as the new monarch, as per the report by Daily Mail.
King Charles is not expected to attend any public events on Thursday, September 15, but he is expected to continue his preparation for being the King and will receive red boxes of state papers. Sent by his private secretary, the red box includes a daily summary of events in Parliament, letters, and other state papers. All the papers inside the box have to be read, approved, and signed by the monarch. It is still unclear, if Charles has received a new set of red boxes, or if he is going to use his mother’s red box for the time being.
The day away from public duties came after King Charles joined his three siblings and sons, William and Harry, as they walked in procession behind the late Queen's coffin as it made its way to the Palace of Westminster today. Following the procession, the King was seen standing next to his wife, still in his livery, as their suitcases were unloaded from the aircraft before being placed in the cars this afternoon.