After marrying the future Queen Camilla in 2005, King Charles appointed Annabel Elliot as the head designer of his estate.
Prince William has declined to rehire Queen Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, as an interior designer on the Duchy of Cornwall payroll.
The Duchy of Cornwall is the royal family’s 700-year-old estate created to generate income for the successor to the throne, and the most recent Integrated Annual Report showed that the Queen’s sister was not retained for her design services in 2023-2024.
“Sources confirmed that Prince William would no longer employ Ms. Elliot, although it was no reflection on her work,” The Telegraph said on July 24. According to sources, the Queen’s sister’s work was complete, and the workers had learned enough from her.
Following his 2005 marriage to the future Queen Camilla, King Charles appointed Annabel as head designer of his properties. The interior designer was compensated through the Duchy of Cornwall, which Charles held until his ascension following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022. Annabel, 75, apparently received several hundred thousand dollars over the years for her services.
“During the period to 8th September 2022 the Duchy paid Mrs. Annabel Elliot, the 24th Duke of Cornwall’s sister-in-law, in the normal course of business and on an arm’s length basis £19,625 [25,276.51] for fees and commission and £12,316 [15,862.70] for the purchase of furniture, furnishings and retail stock for the Duchy of Cornwall Holiday accommodation, Duchy offices and Duchy Nursery,” the report said, which was the same information shared last year.
“At 31st March 2024, there was £nil (2023: £nil) [nothing] remaining payable to Mrs. Elliot in respect of these,” the new annual report, published on July 24, added.
Annabel previously refurbished and updated residences across the Duchy of Cornwall’s premium rental cottages in Cornwall, Wales, and the Isles of Scilly, and she was paid a commission as well as reimbursement for furniture, furnishings, and retail goods, according to The Telegraph. Queen Camilla’s sister appears to have had no competition for the royal job, as the duchy previously said that its design contracts were not out for bidding.
Annabel Elliot Ltd.’s website provides scant information. An first search identifies the Queen’s sister as a “internationally renowned interior designer, decorator, and antiques dealer.”
Queen Camilla and Annabel have a close relationship, and the sisters resumed a summer tradition by attending Wimbledon together on July 10. Annabel stood out as a coronation attendant when Camilla was crowned at Westminster Abbey in May 2023, where the Queen also invited members of the next generation from her family.
Queen Camilla chose Arthur Elliot, Annabel’s grandson, to be one of her four Pages of Honor, with Freddy Parker Bowles, Gus Lopes, and Louis Lopes rounding out the group.
Tom Parker Bowles’ son, Freddy, is 14, and Laura Lopes’ twin kids, Gus and Louis, are 13. Tom and Laura are Queen Camilla’s children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, who also saw the momentous coronation last year.
The newest dispatch from the Duchy of Cornwall is notable because it summarizes Prince William’s first full year administering the estate as the new Duke of Cornwall. One notable detail was that Prince William, 42, received $30 million from his first full year of revenue from the duchy. The figure mostly covers his annual official, charity, and personal expenses for himself, his wife Kate Middleton, and their children.
The finances come from the massive Duchy of Cornwall, which covers 130,000 acres over 23 counties in England and Wales and includes farming, property, and commercial firms totaling over $1 billion.
It is understood that Prince William pays income tax on the total amount he earns from the duchy, less household expenditures. However, he did not disclose the tax amount like his father had done in the past.
