The King looks set to trim his huge list of multi-million pound
properties
King Charles has given up his beloved £1.2million
house in Wales in an effort to slash royal expenses.
Llwynywermod
was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall estate on behalf of the then Prince of
Wales in 2007 after he spent 40 years searching for the right property.
The
old farmhouse near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire was refurbished and used by
the King as his base during his regular visits to Wales.
The
luxurious home, which is surrounded by 192 acres of countryside, was passed
to Prince William but Charles had been paying the rent on the home,
according to The Telegraph.
Sources close to the Royal Family said the King remained
"passionate" about Wales but it was “unlikely” he would be able to use it in
the same way as before.
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.
A spokesperson
for the Prince of Wales confirmed that he would not be inheriting the
property and will instead stay in hotels whenever he visits Wales in order
to help the local economy.
Other properties on the estate are available as holiday rentals when
the King is not in residence.
It is now likely that Llwynywermod
will be let out commercially, either for holidays or on a long-term
lease.
The King and his aides will now shift their attention towards
the management of the various residences owned or used by the King.
These
estates include Highgrove, Birkhall, Clarence House, Sandringham and
Balmoral, as well as official residences such as Buckingham Palace and
Windsor Castle.
One insider claims there are already discussions
underway about giving the paying public greater access to Balmoral and
Buckingham Palace to help cover their costs.
In 2021 the King
told BBC Radio 4 that he had bought Llwynywermod “rather 40 years too late,
probably” because he had spent much of his life having to stay with friends
or borrow other people’s homes when he was in Wales.
He said: “I
come whenever I can…I’ve always felt that it’s an important part of holding
this particular title.”
Finding the house, he said, was “a
wonderful opportunity, at last, to have somewhere in Wales”.
