King Charles will spend a week in Transylvania solo at the beginning of June

After King Charles and Queen Camilla’s coronation, they’ve been relatively quiet. Reportedly, they spent a week at Sandringham, decompressing from the stressful Chubbly, and then they were in London again last week, conveniently right after the Sussexes were in a near-catastrophic pap chase. Now it looks like Charles is finally ready to travel out of the UK for pleasure. He’s been stuck in the UK since his mother’s passing, save for his royal tour of Germany in April. Now King Charles is headed for Transylvania… solo. Camilla said “I’m not doing that.” So the king will head out without his wife to the little country house he owns.

After the pomp and ceremony of his Coronation, it’s little wonder King Charles yearns for the simple life. He intends to slip off in a few weeks to his home deep in rural Transylvania, the Daily Mail can reveal. But Camilla will not accompany him, preferring to remain in her more modern Wiltshire home. Although she is very happy for her hard-working, 74-year-old husband to enjoy some uniquely traditional ‘r and r’.

The King will sleep in a simple wooden bed, drink hand-pressed apple juice – and maybe even judge the local lawn-mowing competition, as he has done on previous visits. It may come as a surprise that the British sovereign, who is actually distantly related to Vlad the Impaler, is incredibly passionate about Romania.

He loves the country so much that he secretly bought a run-down former farmhouse in Zalanpatak, close to the Carpathian Mountains, several years ago with the help of local landowner Count Kalnoky, his great friend (and another distant relative of Vlad, said to be the inspiration for Dracula). The pair – who share a passion for preserving the rich heritage of the region – now co-own three properties in the area, which are rented out to tourists.

Nestled among the hills and meadows of the Zalan Valley, Charles’s simple Romanian hideaway is surrounded by some of the most beautiful and biodiverse wildflower meadows in the region. The hills above the property are roamed by wolves and bears, and in the forests flourish one of Europe’s rarest and most spectacular orchids, the lady’s slipper. Farmers still use horses and carts and cultivate their land with hoes and scythes, as if the industrial revolution has yet to reach their boundaries. In the early years of his visits, Charles and his security team slept in pull-out wooden truckle beds and used outside toilets. The property has now been restored with authentic textiles and antiques from the region as well as indoor toilets.

There was some doubt as to whether he would be able to make his annual visit now that he is King, but the Mail understands he is due to arrive early next month and will stay for up to a week. It is understood that he is likely to have a meeting with the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis, while he is there.

‘There are no private secretaries accompanying him and very little in the way of staff generally, in fact,’ they explained. ‘There’s certainly no valet or chef that travel over with him. The local produce and cooks are too wonderful.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I mean, if I had the money, I would also buy a dilapidated farmhouse somewhere and painstakingly renovate it and modernize it just so, while keeping it in tune with local charm. Like, I would watch that documentary series. I would be obsessed with that. For Charles, I find it an eccentric choice, but whatever, I can see how this project aligns with his many passions, and I’m sure he genuinely enjoys that kind of antiquated rural life.

It’s hilarious that Camilla isn’t joining him though. As soon as she got that crown on her head, she started briefing everybody that she wasn’t going to travel anymore. I assumed that meant she wouldn’t go on royal tours, but it looks like she’s not interested in traveling for pleasure either. Plus, I think something is going on with Camilla – she’s been looking especially sauced whenever we do see her these days. Maybe that’s it.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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87 Responses to “King Charles will spend a week in Transylvania solo at the beginning of June”

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  1. ThatsNotOkay says:

    She’ll be at home revising Charles’s will.

    • Southern Fried says:

      No doubt.

    • Moxylady says:

      I so very much want to buy those one euro homes and renovate them. Using the authentic materials and methods of the times they were built. I would love it.
      But it’s an incredibly difficult task unfortunately. And not just financially. Getting permits and people to sign off on the work done is very hard not to mention the language barriers I would encounter.
      I would want to do it right.

      • Feeshalori says:

        Moxylady, I’ve read about towns in Sicily that are so desperate to re-populate their dwindling numbers that they’re offering dilapidated homes for a dollar, maybe a little more now. But while it’s a bargain, pictures I’ve seen of these homes are totally uninhabitable and you’d be spending thousands of dollars to restore them. But I read that the towns are accommodating and would enable you to get the necessary permits and workers easily. If you could do all that, what a life you can have.

    • Acha says:

      This is hilarious. Related to Vlad the Impaler?? Hanging out in a small wooden house in vampire country????

      • BQM says:

        Yes, through his great grandmother queen Mary! Her own paternal grandmother countess Claudine Rhedey was born in what is now Romania, specifically in the area of Transylvania. Her family was descended from the ancient kings of Hungary and could trace their lineage back to vlad. Queen Mary’s father, the Duke of teck, would’ve been the heir to the wurttemberg throne had his mother not been ‘only’ a countess. Queen Mary would pay for the church where her grandmother is buried to be refurbished and a memorial plaque was placed there in her name in 1904.

  2. Lili says:

    Hey Pops if you can go to transylania you can go to california, i dont’t want to hear about missing the grand kids ever

    • Amy Bee says:

      Exactly.

      • Athena says:

        If Charles wasn’t king he would be one of those Brits we see on YouTube renovating a chateau in France or a house in Italy. I would definitely watch a renovation show staring Charles. He actually has two of them out, one from Grand Design about Dumfries House the other one on BBC (?) about Highgrove.

    • Tiny says:

      Wouldn’t let anywhere near the kids
      Might Diana them

    • Gabby says:

      Sorry Lili but we don’t need his disgusting cowardly ass here in the US. He doesn’t deserve to come here and the Sussex grandkids aren’t missing anything by not seeing him.

    • Whyforthelovel says:

      This times 1000! It has to be easier to get to LAX than Count Dracula’s alma mater

  3. Flowerlake says:

    Despite the many centuries that passed, Vlad probably still looks better.

    • Ana Maria says:

      😂…having watched Renfield 2 days ago and loving it, when I read this post I thought cool, he is visiting Dracula!

      • Smart&Messy says:

        Please do watch Rise of Empire Mehmet vs Vlad on netflix. It really gives justice to who the real Vlad was, and the eyecandy is unreal (in both seasons about Mehmet actually).

    • Whyforthelovel says:

      Vlad for sure has better hands and ears

  4. Eurydice says:

    All of this is hilarious – I can’t stop laughing. To decompress from all the golden carriages and ermine capes and looted jewelry, Charles will sleep in a simple wooden bed and drink apple juice hand-pressed by rural maidens under a waning moon. I wonder who’ll be putting the toothpaste on his brush?

    • bisynaptic says:

      Gives off a whiff of Marie Antoinette’s playing peasant, doesn’t it?

      • SarahCS says:

        Having visited the fake farm that was built at Versailles it sounds like Charles just decided to do the same thing on a grander scale in another country. Let them drink (hand pressed) apple juice.

        I’m not even going to start on how delightfully quaint it is that the peasants use wonderful old style implements for their back breaking work. It’s just utterly charming isn’t it?

      • BeanieBean says:

        Yes, so charming. That’s Ceaușescu’s legacy, I expect.

    • SueBarbri33 says:

      Right? When I saw this article my first–and only–thought was, why on earth does he need to recuperate?? There’s been a lot of chatter like that on the pro-RF message boards and twitter feeds, all about how C&C are worn out after the coronation and all that. But come on. I can understand how the planning and the ceremony itself took a lot out of them, but it’s a strange narrative to push. They’re both, what? Mid-70s? I don’t remember his mother looking so ancient when she was that age. They should be impressing us with their vigor, not complaining about how tired they are. Ridiculous. Bad PR.

    • Chica says:

      How much time do they need to decompress from a three day event three weeks after it? I’m sure Kate is jealous

      • Cecile730 says:

        This about Kate 🤣🤣🤣
        More seriously, am I the only one thinking he is going to meet some unsavory persons with suitcases full of cash?

    • Pam says:

      If he wanted to be rustic, he should have gone to Montecito and helped his son and daughter-in-law with the chickens! Oh, and he could have visited the grandchildren at the same time.

  5. Pinkosaurus says:

    After so many decades of scheming, whispering and scraping, Camzilla got the crown and she is done “working” and humoring this cranky manchild. Queen Camilla is living for herself from here on out (or maybe her ex-husband too, who knows)!

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      This is normal for them – she spends her time at her own property with her grandchildren and he goes off to Romania. This has been happening for years. The property in Romania is his ‘Mill Hill’.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Love how Harry is a rat for having a favorite place to stay in LA but Charles is somehow a quaint ol’ geezer for having a favorite place in Romania. Romania! Sure, normal place for British monarchs to decompress.

    • Josephine says:

      And, gee, no “trouble in their marriage” stories from the unprofessional and completely crappy british press. what a suprise. i guess it’s well known that she’s lazy and selfish. she’ll likely do the fewest appearances ever by a “royal”. true side chick that she is.

  6. PunkyMomma says:

    So let me get this straight—he’s swapping out his purple coronation robes for a black cape? 😆

    *shows self out*

  7. Paulkid says:

    Yet Camilla is willing to travel to Paris where Diana died.

  8. Digital Unicorn says:

    He goes there for a week or 2 pretty much every year – he loves Romania and the locals are very fond of him.

    And yeah he loves buying old houses and doing them up esp if the taxpayer foots the bill like they did with Dumfries house which is owned by the Princes Foundation. Not sure if he owns this property privately or via one of his foundations.

  9. UNCDancer says:

    From all of his rhetoric about a modern monarchy, Charles is a Luddite at best. He is a traditionalist who has this Rosie vision of traditional ways as the best possible ways. You can see it and all the covenants and restrictions he places on the Duchy of Cornwall and all of the other properties he owns. He wants them to look like 18th century villages. Of course he is happy to go off the grid in Romania. Camila on the other hand is a lazy git and likes all of her luxuries, and would never go for such a nonsense. However I do think there is something up with her health and I suspect she is hopped up on painkillers for some issue. But Phil and Liz were right: he’s not fit for the role.

    • Jais says:

      Didn’t she injure her foot or something a while back? Maybe it still gives her trouble? Or she just has a strong gin on the way to her events.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      UNCDANCER, this is such an important point. Charles’ disdain for modern conveniences does not make him “down to earth”. It makes him very entitled. He can return to the twenty first century whenever he wants leaving “the peasants” to their primitive conditions. And I can totally see the resemblance to Vlad The Impaler.

    • Bordelais says:

      Uncdancer, Luddite is such an apt description of him. And, as you rightly say, he seems to want everything to look like an 18th century village, and he imposed that to the best of his ability with the Duchy of Cornwall. I wonder what he has planned for the Duchy of Lancaster.

  10. WiththeAmericann says:

    Um Daily Fail, we all know Chuck doesn’t sleep on a hard bed, he has an entire bed entourage that the British fund that follows him even for a one night stop over visit.

  11. Amy Bee says:

    You have to wonder why Charles and Camilla got married when they spend so much time apart. Plus, isn’t Charles being hypocritical having all these houses standing empty for most of the year when the alleged reason for kicking Harry and Meghan out of Frogmore was that they spend most of their time in the US. Where’s the press outrage that Charles has all these properties standing empty?

    • Jais says:

      Ooh good point, how can he let all these homes in other countries just sit vacant? Apparently, only the Sussexes can’t have a second home. Whereas Charles prob has homes we don’t even know about.

    • Brassy Rebel says:

      Amy Bee, to think that Diana had to be roughly shoved aside so that these two could live apart most of the time.

    • BeanieBean says:

      That was my first thought, too, but the article did say Charles & his co-owners rent the houses out during the year. Wonder why he doesn’t do that with all the royal properties, then, if that’s his excuse for kicking out Harry & moving Andrew (which has yet to happen).

  12. Oh Chuckles are you sure you want to leave King Cowmilla alone for a week? She will be scheming and who knows who she will come for next.

  13. Sue E Generis says:

    They have a Melania/Trump arrangement. Always have. The greatest love story of our time bs has always been propaganda to get the plebs to forget all the damage and destruction these two people left in their wake. They’re still married because they spend so little time together. I don’t think Camilla (or anyone) can stomach being around Charles and his tantrums and whining on an ongoing basis.

  14. aquarius64 says:

    Funny the Fail didn’t use the word Dracula in Chuck’s Transylvania trip. Afraid to conjure up a parallel image of a ruler is also a blood sucker? What’s even scarier, William will be in charge of the UK while he’s gone.

    • Tessa says:

      Camilla will make sure she’s in. Charge. Will is too lazy to be in charge

      • Lady Digby says:

        Forget herbalism KC needs to pick up some of the dark arts to put a hard working spell on his heir and both Mrs Windsors because none of them appear to be obeying orders to step up for him!

    • Gabby says:

      A ruler who is a blood sucker and also a tampon.
      Sorry for the yuck factor, but the irony was to good to pass up.

  15. Sydneygirl says:

    Not me picturing Camilla running through the halls while Charles is away…covered in every tiara and necklace she can find as she twiddles her fingers, plotting.

    Nope…not me 😉

  16. Bordelais says:

    Every time I read about Charles and his fascination with Romania, I’m reminded of Poundbury, the town he built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall which may have been inspired by some of the pre-industrial villages and countryside in Romania: https://thewire.in/urban/king-charles-fixation-with-urban-design-and-how-cities-should-look

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/02/23/prince-charles-accused-stuck-past-strict-design-code-poundbury/

    If he weren’t still a massive landowner (the Duchy of Lancaster), I perhaps would find stories of his interest charming. As it stands, I can’t help wondering whether he’s using this trip to gather more design inspiration to build a Poundbury II, perhaps with stricter covenants on what the homeowners can and can’t do to their properties.

    • UNCDancer says:

      This. He is dilettante dabbler in architecture happy to dictate how others should live without any sense of how the real world works and because he’s the largest landowner in the UK he can do so.

    • windyriver says:

      @Bordelais @UNC Dancer – wrote a longer reply that got bounced for some reason. Let’s see if this works. Charles already tried a Poundbury II in Scotland – Knockroon, which failed. Here’s a good discussion of the background, architectural issues, etc.

      https://www.urbanrealm.com/features/702/New_Urbanism%3A_Knockroon_Revisited.html

      • UNCDancer says:

        @Windyriver Thanks for sharing that! So fascinating! Pastiche is a perfect word for what Charles is up to with his architectural ventures. It’s faux heritage. It reminds me of the remodeled houses you see on American renovation shows. Perfectly fine 50s ranch homes are turned into weird farm houses with out-of-place tin roofs, orange shutters and shiplap for days. To bring this full circle, royalty is low key abuse. Imagine if Charles had been allowed to study architecture or agriculture and work properly in one of those fields. He was not so now we have this septuagenarian man-child playing out his bad ideas on the lives and lands of real people.

  17. rawiya says:

    All those articles last weekend about Harry having a hotel room where he could “get away” from Meghan and the kids…just for it to be Chucky with another house who needs to “get away” from…the hard work of being king?

    • Blue Nails Betty says:

      Just like the American right wing accusations against all things decent and greater good, everything the BRF complains about (re:Harry and Meghan) is a projection.

  18. girl_ninja says:

    He’s aging into a raggedy Count Dracula so this makes sense.

  19. Mslove says:

    Sleeping in a wooden bed & drinking hand-pressed apple juice sounds almost as bad as foraging for mushrooms while his mummy lay dying. Chuck is a useless, vile man.

  20. Harper says:

    To be fair, Cams probably draws the line at sleeping upside down suspended from the ceiling in authentic vampire mode.

  21. Lovely says:

    Hello! Decades long time lurker here! And now I finally can contribute smtg to the convo, yey! The village is Viscri, it’s an UNESCO world heritage site. It’s indeed idyllic, with a 12th century old church, lovely views and reaaaallly good food. As far as his love for Romania, whatever distant relation to Dracula, he is a closer relative of a former queen of Romania. Our monarchy was made of lower rank germans, but they shipped a British princess to marry one of them. When they fled Romania (WW2), they were granted refuge by the BRF. Hope this helps with context. Btw, they all rent their properties to tourists. If you want to see how it’s in Viscri, check out viscrigram profile on insta (sorry if this isn’t allowed), it’s a restaurant in the village, owned by a former big city corporation couple.

    • Nick G says:

      Thank you @Lovely! So pretty!

    • BeanieBean says:

      Thank you, Lovely, this has sent me down a pleasant google rabbit hole. Didn’t know about the British princess connection. And welcome to the comments!

    • Jais says:

      Romania is legit one of the next places I want to visit. It’s been on my wish list for the past 2 years.

    • anna says:

      Hi Lovely! Another Transylvanian celebitch here 🤗 have to admit, I’m
      a bit stunned by the disdain here for our beautiful home country. A bit of Googling would make a world of difference. We are not “the poors” as someone is commenting below. The country recovered immensely 30 years after communism fell and Transylvania especially. It’s one of the most safe countries in Europe – which is already extremely safe – it has gorgeous countryside, modern cities ( the second fasted interned speed in the world), etc etc. Charles has access to all modern facilities while there. Im reading this side for decades now, never had a personal angle but I had no idea how easy is to insult an entire country you know nothing about. Just wow. Seriously, wow.

      • BeanieBean says:

        Speaking for myself, anna, I can say it’s truly out of ignorance. All I remember reading in the news–decades ago, I now realize–was about Ceaușescu. Oh, and I believe Nadia Comăneci was from Romania. And of course I’ve seen various iterations of Dracula + have read the book. That’s it, I’m afraid. I do apologize and appreciate you and Lovely speaking up.

    • A.Pan says:

      Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh married in 1893 Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania, after she refused a proposal of marriage from her cousin, future King George V. They later became known as Queen Maria and King Ferdinand. The Queen was a force of nature and is regarded to this day as one of the most beloved members of the Romanian Royal Familly. She was instrumental in Romania joining the Entante in First War World, dressed as a nurse she went to see the wounded soldiers; at Paris Peace Conference in 1919 she fought for the unification of Romania. Her son, Carol II became King of Romania and two of her daughters Queens, one of Greece and the other of Yugoslavia.
      Also Vlad the Impaler was the ruler of Wallachia, he was born in the city of Sighisoara.

      • SussexFan says:

        Queen Marie. Not Maria. She was well-known for her affairs…of state.

        Dorothy Parker spun a rhyme touching on her:

        “Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
        a medley of extemporanea,
        And love is a thing that can never go wrong,
        and I am Marie of Romania.”

        Carol II had a long-term mistress who later became his wife, the notorious “Magda” Lupescu, but the marriage did not occur until after the war and after his mother died. Magda was also Jewish, which freaked out the more right-wing Romanians. Magda (real name: Elena), lived until 1977, out-living Carol who died in 1953. Her formal name became Princess Elena of Romania after she and Carol were married in 1947. After 22 years together, they only had less than six years being legal.

      • A.Pan says:

        Maria is the Romanian version of her name, Marie the English one! to us she is Regina/Queen Maria!

    • BQM says:

      King Michael was deposed while he was attending the wedding of Philip and Elizabeth. Michael and Philip were first cousins once removed and childhood friends. Michaels mother Helen was a Greek princess. Charles is very close to Michael’s eldest, margarita. She and her husband were at the coronation.

  22. Saschafrom76 says:

    Totally not weird Dracula’s baby has to go back and apologize to the death cult for the failed assassination attempt
    Also he’s buying properties and renting them out lol okay vampire landlord king

    • A.Pan says:

      Vlad was indeed ruthless but tried to be fair! he impaled thieves, rapists, traitors, and occasionally those he did not like. King Charles has no blood relation with him, BUT with The Romanian Royal Familly, through Queen Maria of Romania!

      • BQM says:

        He does have a blood relationship to vlad through his maternal great grandmother queen Mary and her teck side. And his closer relationship isn’t through Marie but through Philip who was king Michael’s cousin, his mother being the Greek princess Helen. (Herself also a great granddaughter of Queen Victoria as well.)

  23. maisie says:

    “simple, rustic farmhouse”….not buying it for a minute. This is a man who travels with his own toilet seat, who has his valet iron his shoelaces, and who is noted for bringing his own entire bed when he visits “friends”.

    What I find more interesting is that he’s cutting William out of the normal order of things and letting Queen Side-Piece act in his stead whilst he’s away.

  24. GDubslady says:

    Here’s a theory. Charles is getting out of town while US is about to default and World Economic Forum unveils their plans for the peasants.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      The US isn’t going to default. If he thinks to use that as an excuse, he’ sol.

    • Jais says:

      Also wondered if he was given the heads up about when Harry will testify in court. No pressure to see his son if he just happens to already be out of the country. But it sounds like he often might go at this time of year so idk.

  25. Totorochan says:

    He could barely keep his eyes open during the coronation and has been looking like a sweet elderly lady in photographs, so the trip is timely. He really needs that infusion of fresh human blood, poured into a rococo silver hunting goblet and valet-stirred to the perfect consistency. Perhaps his wife has been draining him as he sleeps? He needs to raid the family vaults for a medieval iron neck guard so that he doesn’t wake up from a dream of sapient horses to find himself weak, pale and punctured.

    • AnneL says:

      My favorite theory! Chuck needs fresh blood, and what better place to get it than in the land of his distant ancestor Vlad AKA Dracula? Maybe there’s a secret source only people in this weird extended inbred family know. Hand pressed apple juice?! We all know what he’s really drinking. Meanwhile, Cam will be back at home guzzling gin as always.

  26. QuiteContrary says:

    This is a little too on the nose: Blood-sucking king retreats to Transylvania.

  27. Lurker 25 says:

    Let’s be real: he’s going to drink hand-pressed apples juice and judge lawn moving competitions, sure. But he’s really there to check on his horcruxes.

  28. HeyKay says:

    Charles goes to Transylvania to see how “The Poors” live there.
    Does zero to help. Makes certain to get his PR photo taken, while wearing a Saville Row custom made suit that cost $8K at least.
    Returns to BP, exhausted in need of a holiday paid for by the tax payers AGAIN.

  29. YVR says:

    Not convinced he’ll be alone. Chuck will need his butler to put the toothpaste on his toothbrush. 🙂

  30. SIde Eye says:

    I hope they are giving him high fructose corn syrup apple juice from a juice box and telling him that it’s hand pressed. It’s what he deserves!!!🧃

  31. Kim says:

    To be fair. Unless chuck gave them his WHOLE itinerary it is creepy how much information the press has. I never noticed it but it is stalking. Cause it’s him I never thought about it much.

    The public does have a right to know what he is up to but they really laid out his plans. At least they should wait until the trip is over to give so much detail. It’s like they want us to try and visit him.

  32. Deering24 says:

    “He loves the country so much that he secretly bought a run-down former farmhouse in Zalanpatak, close to the Carpathian Mountains, several years ago with the help of local landowner Count Kalnoky, his great friend (and another distant relative of Vlad, said to be the inspiration for Dracula).“

    That Doctor Who ep. just writes itself, no? 🤣😈