Hidden away in a corner of Carmarthenshire there sits a sprawling, ancient property that was purchased 15 years ago by the Prince of Wales. During those years, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla stayed at the tranquil farmhouse - located on Llwynywermod Estate on the outskirts of Myddfai, near Llandovery - countless times and ingratiated themselves with locals who were thrilled to have prominent members of the Royal Family as neighbours.
That family has had a tumultuous few weeks since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. The world’s glare turned to them as Britain welcomed a new monarch for the first time since Elvis Presley was a teenager, and amongst all the mourning, a restructuring of the family’s hierarchy was taking place. You can get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free by signing up here.
Chief among that, of course, was the ascension of Prince Charles to become King Charles III. That meant that his eldest son, Prince William, and his wife Catherine, became the new Prince and Princess of Wales. And with that comes a lot more than just a title. While the very idea of having a Prince of Wales in 2022 has been hotly debated in recent weeks - what is certain is that William has not only become the Prince of Wales, but he has automatically assumed other titles including Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester and Duke of Rothesay.
Read more: Barmaid drank so much she collapsed and died after shift
Therefore, as Prince William is now the Duke of Cornwall, he owns the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate established in 1337 by Edward III to provide independence to his son and heir, Prince Edward. As such, the Duke of Cornwall is always the eldest surviving son of the ruling monarch. With this in mind, Kensington Palace has confirmed that everything which forms part of the Duchy Estate belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, and that includes Llwynywermod Estate on the outskirts of Myddfai.
The estate was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall in 2007 for a reported cost of £1.2m. Charles and his wife Camilla would use the estate - made up of three cottages, a Grade-II listed barn and a main house - to enjoy breaks surrounded by 192 acres of Welsh countryside. Charles had reportedly spent as long as 40 years searching for the perfect country retreat before settling on Llwynywermod, parts of which can actually be booked out by families or couples looking for a relaxing break. You can read more about the estate and its history here.
Charles and Camilla would quite often stay at Llwynywermod, most notably around St David’s Day, when the then Prince would have a packed schedule of duties around Wales. The couple also spent some time there in April, 2021 in the days and weeks after the death of Charles’ father, Prince Philip.
Following his mother’s death last month, residents in the village of Myddfai, who spoke glowingly of Charles - how he would attend church services on Sunday mornings with the minimum of fanfare, and how he donated prizes for local raffles, and also how he officially opened the new village hall - but were concerned that he may now, as King, not have as many opportunities to visit his favourite part of Wales.
However, now that the Llwynywermod Estate belongs to the new Duke of Cornwall, it’s possible that the residents of Myddafi will see less of Charles and Camilla but a lot more of William and Kate. While the couple have three homes in England, they have never had a property in Wales. However, they did spend three years living in Anglesey in north Wales when William was stationed in the area as a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the RAF between 2010 and 2013. You can read more about that here.
The couple clearly have a fondness for Wales, and have vowed to visit regularly, including a trip to Cardiff before Christmas. They are said to be keen to “use the platform they have to take the dynamic nation of Wales to the global stage”, and spent time in both Anglesey and Swansea last week.
When pushed on the topic, a spokeswoman for Kensington Palace said they would not comment on the future use of the Llwynywermod Estate. But, for the first time, Prince William and Princess Catherine now have a property in Wales they can call their own and, if given the opportunity, the people of Myddfai and the surrounding areas will no doubt welcome them with open arms.
Read next:
- School's shock at death of former teacher after alleged assault
- The three potential sites for a new £1.3bn hospital in west Wales
- The beautiful remote Welsh village that used to have it all but lost everything
- Almost 100 new homes to be built on edge of Carmarthen town centre
- Comedian Rhod Gilbert’s battle with cancer has actually sparked off something pretty special
