snowfall / cl16

château aurelie

✧ ˚ · . CHÂTEAU AURELIE . · ˚✧
a tour with vogue in 2025

Charles Leclerc has found his inner peace, or so he reports in Vogue's recent video in which the Formula 1 driver opens the doors to his million dollar villa in the heart of Sicily, Italy. This promotional video has come out just after the end of the 2025 season just two weeks ago, but it seems that it was filmed over the summer, with the opening shot showing a blazing sun against a bright blue sky.

The camera centers on the driver the moment that the heavy oak door swings open, and he is revealed to be wearing a casual light blue shirt and linen shorts, with his hair messy and still wet from a shower. He has a slight sunburn on his nose, which he quickly laughs off: "You know me, I always forget to apply sun screen. My wife is always badgering me about it."

His smile could dazzle millions like the flash of a camera upon the realisation of the information he has just revealed. Upon further probing from our beloved Willow, Charles nods. "Yes, yes. We got married last month. In this villa, actually. Well, in the backyard! I will show you in a bit. But first, come on in!"

He opens the door wider and invites the camera crew inside, leading them through the open hallway, where modern art lines the white walls. The juxtaposition of the outside and the inside of the villa is great: where the outside is all warmth and Mediterranean influences, the inside blends these features seamlessly with more modern touches, like the artwork.

"The art on the walls is actually the only part of the house I was allowed a voice in," Charles says by way of an opening to steer the conversation in what we are really here for: the details behind his beautiful villa. There is, after all, much to unpack. "Arden took the reign on all of the other aspects and decisions. I was lucky she included me in choosing the sofa!"

Charles' influence in the choice of art is clear. As we come to see throughout the house, his trophies and special items are scattered throughout as decoration, with the occasional beautiful Ferrari artwork hung up on the walls, although it is never the star of the show. Just like Charles, it is understated and down to earth.

He takes us through the house, showing off the kitchen and the open living space before allowing us a glimpse of the pool and the wicker bench underneath a chestnut tree. Nature was in full bloom now, with oleander and orange blossom trees swaying in the breeze.

"My wife and I have a lot of memories here," Charles begins, finally opening up more about the history of this special place. We wait with baited breath until he continues, because, of course, everyone wants to know how this villa intertwines with Harry Styles' fifth studio album and the song Aurelie, which Styles only briefly mentioned was inspired by this very place. "We came here for the first time in 2014, and it was actually where our love story began."

"We were friends for long before that. As many might know, our families go way back, and there had always been feelings. But that summer is when it all started, and it was right here under this tree and in this pool that we realised how deep our connection truly ran." The Ferrari driver stares wistfully out at the beautiful view, a serene expression on his beautiful features. He tucks his hands into his pockets and turns towards the camera, catching its eye with another one of his dazzling, boyish smiles.

"We've gone through a lot of ups and downs. I think many will relate, especially in the world we live in today. External circumstances can really affect a relationship, and so even though Arden and I lost touch in 2014, we rekindled that love again in 2023. But maybe a part of it was never truly healed until we found our way back here. But as some might know, there was a little obstacle in our way."

He continues his walk towards the other side of the garden, where a recently constructed building stands. He shows us inside the Ivy-covered walls, where we briefly meet Arden and get a peek into her studio, the origin of all of Beaumont Interiors inspiring and striking interior designs. Her influence and her genius is clear in every corner of the house, and her smile is as stellar as her creativity.

We leave her and Charles easily continues. "Funnily enough, Arden told me that Harry had reached out to her just a couple of months after we got back together. And, serendipitously, the space he wanted to decorate happened to be this very villa. Coincidentally, I had been looking at buying it myself, but Harry had been one step ahead of me. But, in a twist of fate, we crossed paths and we talked about this very house."

"When he learned about our story and the love we had for this place, he was easily swayed," Charles smiles cheekily as he stops in front of a door. When he opens it, the first thing that we see is the orange blossom tree outside of the window. "This was Arden's room while we stayed here in 2014. In 2023, it is where I proposed to her. Last month, we were married beneath that very tree."

"So the rumours are in a way true, yes," Charles says with a small smile. "Harry Styles did write a song about this very villa, and in a way he wrote a song about Arden and I. He was the one who suggested the name, because it had never had a name before. Now, it is Villa Aurelie, and it is the birth place of the greatest love in my life."

"That is, except for Ferrari, of course." He jokes. And with a wink, the videos ends. The truth is unveiled, and the hopeless romantics can continue their lives wondering if they will ever find a love story as beautiful and as sweet as this. But one thing is for sure: even Harry Styles is a romantic.