King gives notice to quit his Welsh bolthole to the Duchy of Cornwall
The King is giving up his “bolthole” in Wales on the edge of y Bannau Brycheiniog.
Llwynywermod, near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, was bought for £1.2 million by the Duchy of Cornwall estate on behalf of the then prince in March 2007 after he spent 40 years searching for the right place.
The former coach house and farm buildings, some of which are holiday homes, are at the centre of 192 acres of idyllic rolling countryside.
The Telegraph said that since the Duchy of Cornwall was passed to Prince William, the King has been paying rent on Llwynywermod.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the King gave notice to the Duchy earlier this year that he would be giving up the lease which is due to expire later in the summer.
The Telegraph quoted royal sources who said the King remained “passionate” about Wales, but had decided to give up the property because it was “unlikely” he would be able to use it in the same way as before.
Welsh retreat
The original owner, William Williams in the 13th or 14th century, was related to Anne Boleyn.
The old house and the disintegrating concrete and corrugated iron farm buildings, where there was also an abandoned slurry pit, were restored by Welsh craftsmen using traditional methods and local materials.
Charles also planted climbers including Albertine roses, jasmine and honeysuckle up the walls.
Six of the English field maples which formed the avenue of trees at William and Kate’s 2011 wedding were later rehomed at the Welsh retreat.
The idea was Charles’s, and with William and Kate’s approval he set them in the soil at the front of the house, along a rustic wooden fence.
Clarence House tweeted in 2013: “The trees from the Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey are thriving at Llwynywermod.”
‘Enduring landscape’
The prince has spoken of the “enduring landscape of Wales” and how “its mountains, patchworked fields and woods; its coastline, castles, villages and market towns” play a vital role in attracting visitors.
He told Visit Wales: “It certainly cast its spell on me a long time ago.”
William inherited a £23 million-a-year income from the Duchy of Cornwall.
As heir to the throne, the prince is entitled to the annual surplus generated by the Duchy’s vast portfolio of land, buildings and financial investments.
He has also taken charge of overseeing the management of the estate.
In 2021-2022, the annual Duchy income came to £23 million for Charles, then the Prince of Wales and now King.
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Good bloody riddance too!! Apart from shaking hands, waving, smiling, getting pampered and served hand and foot, holidaying, spending fortunes etc., what are they for? There isn’t a day’s work in any of them. It would probably kill them. The sooner they go the better.
Get rid of the monarchy and they’ll be replaced by the likes of Blair, Cobyn etc. perhaps that would suit you better!
Why don’t you go and live in Russia 🇷🇺? You’d be much happier 😊
That family gets away with it every time. Having that huge portfolio of assets, all acquired by inheritance and the State’s on-going “gratitude” and servility. Good quality land, well maintained buildings with a few relics and historical ruins sprinkled into the mix. Just imagine breaking that up into small units fit for hundreds of families to run their own farms, small businesses and homes to live in. We moan at length about the prevailing housing situation in Wales and wider UK yet we do nothing to reclaim these big estates and renovate the 000’s of empty houses in our cities… Read more »
Good luck with that on Ynys Mon…
I think we should start a Crowdfunding page to purchase the property and present it to William, as he needs to know that the people of Wales adore him and his wonderful ‘Princess of Wales’. I’ll get the ball rolling with my next month’s wages.
Nia I’m out 😉🏴
This property, like all the Crown Estates, must be handed back to public ownership, for the good of the people of Cymru and absolutely NOT be allowed to end up in the hands of other private and privileged scheisters (many spellings for this) who will act against the interests of our nation.
Fair play. Times are tough. We’ve all got to do our bit!!
I think 🤔 “Elvis Windsor🤴” left the building “ years ago 🏴……..