I hadn’t been keeping a close eye on King Charles’s comings and goings in recent weeks, which explains why I didn’t catch the fact that Queen Camilla hasn’t been seen with her husband in weeks. Weird, right? In the last weekend of July, Charles was seemingly solo at Sandringham, and Camilla was not seen with him when he walked to church on July 27th. The next day, Charles headed to Scotland. August 2nd, he attended the Mey Highland Games without his wife, and he seemingly spent the past week at Castle of Mey (the castle he inherited from his grandmother), also with no one seeing Camilla anywhere around. Well, funny story. It turns out that Camilla has been on a yacht belonging to a Syrian national who was/is a huge Tory donor. LMAO.
Queen Camilla enjoyed a luxury holiday around Greece on a £30million superyacht owned by a billionaire Tory donor. The King’s wife was spotted on Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s boat Zenobia while travelling to some of the Mediterranean country’s most select tourist hotspots. With the Royal Family meant to be strictly apolitical, Camilla being spotted on a Tory billionaire donor’s boat will be seen by many as sending out the wrong message.
And while there is no suggestion the King’s 78-year-old wife has done anything wrong, accepting hospitality from someone so influential in the world of politics is not a good look. It also comes at a time when millions of ordinary Brits are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis – and King Charles has spoken about cutting back on royal extravagance.
Camilla was seen on Syrian-Saudi Wafic Said’s £30million boat Zenobia in a bay off the coast of Greece this week. Former Lib Dem minister Norman Baker, author of a new book on finances called Royal Mint, National Debt, said: “Members of the Royal Family really ought to consider the public perception of such episodes, whether they are on holiday or official business. They are representing the country at all times and, let’s be honest, it’s not as if they are short of cash. This is not a good look for Camilla, especially when the relationships between the royals and their associates are rightly called into question.”
Queen Camilla is not thought to have been joined on Zenobia by Charles. He was at the Mey-Highland Games last Saturday. Mr Said – who brokered the record multi-billion-pound Al Yamamah arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the UK in the mid-1980s – was not onboard. The Al Yamamah arms deal was subject to an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, but the probe was discontinued in 2006.
The 85-year-old, who is at number 85 in The Sunday Times Rich List with a £1.9billion fortune, was a significant donor to the Tories before rules were changed in 2000 to allow only those on the UK electoral register to give parties cash. He was a very close friend of former PM Margaret Thatcher. His wife of 56 years Rosemary is still a Tory donor. Experts say it is crucial the Royal Family remains apolitical.
I looked up Wafic Said – born in Syria, made his fortune in Saudi Arabia, previously lived in Switzerland and currently lives in Monaco, although he owns property all over the world, including England. So, do we believe Said is simply allowing Camilla to borrow his yacht? Or do we think that she’s paid to rent it? I believe she borrowed it, meaning it was given to her as a freebie. Camilla loves a freebie. The monarchy had to change the monarchy’s gifting rules because Camilla kept being “given” so many jewels whenever she traveled. And yes, this is a horrible look all around. First William and Kate borrow some super-yacht and sail around Greece, and now it’s Camilla doing the same thing? And why isn’t she with Charles? I’m sure we’ll soon get some big exclusive in the Telegraph about “Charles knows how hard poor Camilla has been working, he demanded that she borrow someone’s yacht for a nice vacation.” Camilla is always taking these solo holidays too – some people have theorized that they periodically need to dry her out. I doubt she’s drying out on a yacht though.
EXCLUSIVE: Queen Camilla holidays on Tory donor’s luxury £30million superyacht https://t.co/4OSOmBEvcg pic.twitter.com/jKR8eaQe6A
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) August 9, 2025
Cover courtesy of the Mirror, additional photos courtesy of Cover Images.
