Breaking my silence: I dislike sharing a bed. For my entire life, I just have a high internal body temperature, and I can’t stand having a (temperature) hot body beside me or sleeping near to me or on me. It has to be a very cold night for me to even sleep with extra blankets – usually one blanket will do, and I kick it off and on several times throughout the night. I need my space, even when I’m sleeping (especially when I’m sleeping). So, I perfectly understand the more “traditional” custom of spouses sleeping in different bedrooms. That’s simply the way it’s done in the British aristocracy and among British royals – married couples rarely sleep in the same room. Well, I tend to think the Daily Mail is making a point of directing everyone’s attention to that fact:

A restful night’s sleep – on one’s own – could be the key to the King’s successful long-term love with Queen Camilla, a royal expert has speculated. The monarch, 74, and Camilla, 75, spilt their time between places, and although Buckingham Palace is officially their place of residence, their London base is thought to be Clarence House.

It is not unusual for members of the royal family to retire to different bedrooms for the evening. The Prince and Princess of Wales slept separately when they lived in Kensington Palace. And it was speculated that the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip even had rooms in completely different areas of the Palace.

However, it has been said that the reason behind Charles and Camilla separating for the evening is due to the King’s health. He suffers from back pain and it has been speculated that sleeping alone can ease the pain and would therefore be beneficial for the royal.

Royal expert Joshua Rom suggested that Charles and Camilla kipped in different rooms because of their ‘hectic schedules’, as reported in The Mirror. A source has previously told the Daily Mail that the new monarch and his wife share three bedrooms at Clarence House.

‘His Royal Highness has a room with a double bed, decorated to his own taste, then Camilla has her own room with a double bed, decorated just the way she likes it,’ says the royal pal. ‘In addition, they have a shared bedroom with a double bed that they can use whenever they like. The arrangement suits them perfectly.’

But the couple don’t just sleep apart at Clarence House, but also when they travel to the countryside in Gloucestershire. Camilla is also said to have her own room at Highgrove Mansion but she prefers to spend time at Ray Mill as it is closer to her family.

The royals are not the only ones to sleep apart, as it has been reported that around 25 per cent of all US couples sleep in separate bedrooms and four in ten UK couples now sleep apart most nights. UK sex expert Tracey Cox says that despite the stigma around sleeping separately, choosing to sleep in separate beds could actually improve your love and sex life dramatically.

[From The Daily Mail]

Again, I understand the logistics of why married couples would sleep separately and I’m not judging – I would do the same if I was married. Charles and Camilla’s sleeping arrangements make sense for them, and they’ve probably always had that kind of arrangement. It’s especially clear that Camilla likes to have her own space, and that Charles doesn’t actually need or want Camilla around him constantly. It works for them. It’s hilariously out of touch – oh, darling, just get three bedrooms and 13 homes like the king and queen! – but again, it works for them.

Note the part about how William and Kate had separate bedrooms in their KP apartment – that’s interesting. Especially because the family supposedly moved into Adelaide Cottage, which simply doesn’t have the space for that kind of arrangement. William probably does maintain a separate bedroom… somewhere else entirely. I saw that tweet about a helicopter flying into KP every evening too – maybe William likes his private bedroom in KP while Kate enjoys her private bedroom in Adelaide Cottage.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.