Prince William removes Queen Camilla's sister from royal payroll

After his marriage to Queen Camilla in 2005, King Charles appointed Annabel Elliot as chief designer for his estates

Prince William has decided not to rehire Annabel Elliot, the sister of Queen Camilla, as an interior designer for the Duchy of Cornwall.

This decision marks a shift in the management of the royal estate, which is a long-standing source of income for the heir to the throne.

The Duchy of Cornwall's 700-year-old estate, which provides financial support for the Prince of Wales, released its Integrated Annual Report on July 24, revealing that Elliot was not retained for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. According to the report, Elliot’s work with the Duchy is now considered complete, and staff have reportedly gained sufficient expertise from her contributions.

Annabel Elliot, who was appointed as chief designer by King Charles following his marriage to Camilla in 2005, had previously been paid through the Duchy for her services. During her tenure, Elliot was compensated several hundred thousand dollars for her work, which included decorating luxury rental properties across Cornwall, Wales, and the Isles of Scilly.

 

The Duchy of Cornwall report specified that Elliot was paid £19,625 ($25,276.51) for fees and commissions, and £12,316 ($15,862.70) for furniture and furnishings, with no remaining balance payable to her as of March 31, 2024.

Elliot’s role was part of King Charles’s broader strategy to manage and upgrade the royal estates. She was reportedly the only designer involved, as design contracts within the Duchy were not open to competitive bidding.

The decision comes as Prince William, now Duke of Cornwall, begins his first full year managing the estate. His stewardship has been marked by a significant income of $30 million for the year, which supports the official, charitable, and private expenses of the Prince, his wife Kate Middleton, and their children.

Annabel Elliot, an internationally renowned interior designer and antiques dealer, remains close to Queen Camilla. The sisters were recently seen together at Wimbledon on July 10, and Elliot played a prominent role in Camilla’s coronation in May 2023, where her grandson Arthur Elliot served as one of the Queen’s Pages of Honor.

The Duchy of Cornwall spans 130,000 acres across 23 counties in England and Wales, encompassing farmland, property, and commercial ventures worth over $1 billion. Prince William, who pays income tax on the Duchy’s revenue, has opted not to disclose his tax bill publicly, following in his father’s footsteps.