King Charles brought Annabel Elliot in as the chief designer of his estates following his marriage to the future Queen Camilla in 2005
Prince William 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 designed to provide income for the heir to the throne, and its latest Integrated Annual Report revealed that the Queen’s sister was not brought back for her design services in the 2023-2024 year.
“Sources confirmed that Prince William would no longer employ Ms. Elliot, although it was no reflection on her work,” The Telegraph reported on July 24. Sources added that the Queen’s sister’s work was considered complete and staff had learned sufficiently from her.
King Charles brought in Annabel as the chief designer of his estates following his marriage to the future Queen Camilla in 2005. The interior designer was paid through the Duchy of Cornwall, which Charles controlled until his accession upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. Annabel, 75, was reportedly paid several hundred thousand dollars over the years for her work.
“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 decorated and updated properties across the Duchy of Cornwall’s luxury rental cottages in Cornwall, Wales and the Isles of Scilly, and she was compensated for commission as well as reimbursement for furniture, furnishings and retail stock, The Telegraph said. Queen Camilla’s sister apparently didn’t have any competition for the royal job, as the duchy previously said that its design contracts were not open to bid on.
Further information about Annabel Elliot Ltd. is limited on its website. An initial search describes the Queen’s sister as an “internationally renowned interior designer, decorator and antiques dealer.”
Queen Camilla and Annabel share a tight bond, and the sisters continued a summer tradition by attending Wimbledon together on July 10. Annabel memorably served as a coronation attendant when Camilla was crowned at Westminster Abbey in May 2023, where the Queen also brought in members of the next generation from her side of the family.
Queen Camilla tapped Annabel’s grandson, Arthur Elliot, to serve as one of her four Pages of Honor, and her grandsons — Freddy Parker Bowles, Gus Lopes and Louis Lopes — completed the group.
Freddy, 14, is the son of Tom Parker Bowles while Gus and Louis, 13, are the twin sons of Laura Lopes. Tom and Laura are Queen Camilla’s children from her first marriage to Andrew Parker Bowles, who also attended the historic coronation last year.
The latest dispatch from the Duchy of Cornwall is significant as it summarized the work of Prince William’s first full year managing the estate as the new Duke of Cornwall. A key highlight was that Prince William, 42, received $30 million from his first full year’s income from the duchy. The sum largely covers the annual official, charitable and private expenditures for himself, his wife Kate Middleton and their children.
The funds flow from the vast Duchy of Cornwall spanning 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales and encompassing farmland, property and commercial businesses, worth over $1 billion.
It’s understood that Prince William pays income tax on the entire income he receives from the duchy, minus household expenses. However, he did not disclose the tax bill like his father did in the past.