Charles still has ten homes after giving up his Welsh bolthole

King Charles has given up his home in Wales as he begins to downsize his property portfolio – in line with his wishes for a more cost-efficient monarchy.

His Majesty purchased Llwynywermod in 2007 through the Duchy of Cornwall which, as Prince of Wales, he owned. 

The Duchy paid £1.2million for the luxury farmhouse near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire.

Until recently, Charles used it as his base during regular trips to the Wales, but on becoming King, the Duchy passed to  Prince William.

So the King has turned from landlord to tenant on the 192-acre estate.

King Charles and Queen Camilla posing for a photograph outside their welsh property Llwynywermod in June 2009

His Majesty purchased the Welsh farmhouse in 2007 by the Duchy of Cornwall, paying £1.2million for the luxury property near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire

The lease is due to expire later in the summer, with Buckingham Palace confirming the King gave notice to the Duchy earlier this year.

He has plenty more hoe to choose from, meanwhile.

Here, MailOnline highlight ten of the monarch’s dwellings still in his possession…

Highgrove House, Gloucestershire

King Charles has lived at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire since 1980 when he bought the property with his first wife Princess Diana

A young Prince Charles pictured relaxing on the sofa in his living room at Highgrove House

King Charles has lived at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire since 1980 when he bought the property with his first wife Princess Diana, and their children, Princes William and Harry.

While back then the King mostly visited the property on weekends, it is now one of his more frequented homes where he enjoys tending to the gardens at and has overseen multiple renovations to make the estate more environmentally friendly.

The nine-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion is surrounded by 900 acres of organic land. The gardens of Highgrove have been open to the public for over 25 years on selected dates through the summer, with all the money raised going to charity.

Since the 1980s, ownership of the property has since shifted to Prince William as the new Duchy of Cornwall, but it remains as Charles’ point of residence.

Buckingham Palace, London

Buckingham Palace became the official London residence of the royal family in 1837 when Queen Victoria ascended the throne

King Charles and Queen Camilla pictured on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day of their Coronation in May this year

Buckingham Palace became the official London residence of the royal family in 1837 when Queen Victoria ascended the throne, but it first became the Royal Family’s property in 1761 when King George III purchased it for Queen.

The Palace is both publicly funded and owned by the Monarch of the moment and therefore was passed down to King Charles following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles was born in Buckingham Palace on November 14, 1948, which belonged to his grandfather, King George VI at the time. 

Charles spent much of his upbringing in the 775-room residence that has blocked-off sections for the royal family to live in full-time, with other areas for the public to enjoy.

The King does not currently reside in Buckingham Palace as past Monarchs have, but still uses it for work.

Clarence House, London

Clarence House, in central London, has been Charles and Camilla’s official residence since their wedding in 2005

King Charles attended a reception at Clarence House in London on February 23 this year

Clarence House, located in central London, has been King Charles and Queen Camilla’s official residence since their wedding in 2005.

The three-story mansion, which was built between 1825 and 1827 by architect John Nash, was also where Charles spent many of his early years before the Queen’s ascension to the throne in 1952.

It was previously home to the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and Charles’s grandmother the Queen Mother, who lived there from 1953 until her death in 2002

Prior to Charles and Camilla’s move to the property, Clarence House underwent extensive renovations and was refurbished with new artwork, textiles, and a new colour scheme.

The alterations were designed to reflect the change of occupancy, while maintaining the familiar atmosphere of their much-loved family home.

Following the Coronation of the new Monarch early last month, it is believed that the King will continue to reside here, breaking generations of traditions by not moving into Buckingham Palace.

Windsor Castle

Having been home to over 40 British Kings and Queens across the span of 1,000 years, the castle was previously the late Queen Elizabeth’s primary home

The King and Queen arriving for the Easter Mattins Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in April

Windsor Castle was built in the 11th Century by William the Conquerer and is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world.

Having been home to over 40 British Kings and Queens across the span of 1,000 years, the castle was previously the late Queen Elizabeth’s primary home during the Covid-19 pandemic and up until her passing in 2022.

Today, Windsor Castle is one of the many royal residences owned by King Charles after he inherited the property from his mother. Though he does not occupy the property, it is now under his ownership ‘in right of The Crown’.

The Berkshire property is currently home to around 150 people who work on the Estate.

Sandringham, Norfolk

The Estate of Sandringham was passed on to King Charles personally, following the death of his Queen Elizabeth II

Sandringham is privately owned by the monarchy and has been in the Royal Family since 1862 when Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, purchased it with his soon-to-be wife, Alexandra of Denmark.

The Estate of Sandringham was passed on to King Charles personally, following the death of his Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

The country residence is where the Royal Family has celebrated Christmas every year since 1988 and it was where Queen Elizabeth II gave her first televised Christmas message from Sandringham in 1957.

Honouring his mother’s memory, King Charles continued this tradition in his first as King in 2022.

The estate has predominantly stayed the same since Charles took full ownership – but it is now set to go through a full acre of the structure’s west lawn, which has been bulldozed in preparation for a new topiary garden at the request of the nature-loving King.

Balmoral Castle, Scotland

The Scottish Balmoral Castle was thought to be the late Queen’s favourite residence

Much like Sandringham Estate, Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire is also privately owned by the monarch and was inherited by the king upon his mother’s death.

The Scottish Castle was thought to be the late Queen’s favourite residence, and it was here where she accepted Prince Philip’s proposal of marriage, spent their honeymoon, spent many summers, and where she ultimately passed away.

The 50,000-acre property was purchased by Prince Albert for his wife Queen Victoria in 1855, the present caste which sits on the grounds was built by architect William Smith after the original structure was torn down.

Although Balmoral is privately owned by the Royal Family, it still features permanent exhibitions and is open to the public in the warmer months of the year.

Birkhall, Scotland

Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Charles as she was presented with one of the first copies of ‘Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, The Official Biography’ in the garden at Birkhall

The Birkhall estate on the Balmoral estate is the former home of the Queen Mother

Found in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Birkhall is another estate along with a 1715 house that King Charles inherited in 2022.

The estate is located on the Balmoral estate and is the former home of the Queen Mother, who described it as a ‘little big house’.

His Majesty and Queen Camilla have spent many special occasions in Birkhall, including their honeymoon in 2005 and returned for private mourning following the Queen’s funeral.

Castle of Mey, Scotland

King Charles inherited the Castle of Mey from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, following her death in 2002

The property was put into trust in 1996, with King Charles serving as president

King Charles inherited the Castle of Mey from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, following her death in 2002.

The Castle was built between 1566 and 1572 on the lands of Mey in Caithness on the northern coast of Scotland where it previously belonged to the Bishops of Caithness.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, purchased the castle in 1952 and renovated the property and its 30-acre grounds. While it is not known exactly how much the former Queen paid for the home, some speculate she was given it for free, while others suggest she paid around £100.

The property was put into trust in 1996, with King Charles serving as president, and over the years he has been a frequent visitor

The stunning 10-bedroom building is now home to a bed and breakfast, named Granary Lodge, which was opened by King Charles in 2019 and was designed to pay homage to the castle’s rich history.

Zalán Valley guesthouse, Transylvania, Romania

Among King Charles’ proprietary portfolio is a rural farmhouse in Zalanpatak, which is close to the Carpathian Mountains, in Transylvania

King Charles taking a walk at his estate in Valea Zalanului, Transylvania, in May 2022

Among King Charles’ proprietary portfolio is a rural farmhouse in Zalanpatak, which is close to the Carpathian Mountains, in Transylvania. The royal bought the property back in 2006 with the help of local landowner and longtime friend, Count Kalnoky.

Nestled among the hills and meadows of the Zalan Valley, Charles’s simple Romanian hideaway is surrounded by some of the most beautiful and biodiverse wildflower meadows in the region.

The property has recently been restored with authentic textiles and antiques from the region as well as indoor toilets. But it still retains a simple, Transylvanian authenticity, with heating provided by wood-burning ceramic tile stoves and tap water sourced from springs.

Charles typically spends a couple of days a year at the residence, which is otherwise rented out for public use for as little as £105 a night when he is not there.

The building features seven double bedrooms with en-suites, a drawing and dining room, a sitting room and a kitchen.

Dolphin House, Isles of Scilly

Dolphin House is a six-bedroom Georgian granite-walled property in Tresco, the Isles of Scilly

Princess Diana and King Charles with their sons, Princes William and Harry on holiday in Scilly in 1989

Another of the King’s holiday homes is Dolphin House, a six-bedroom Georgian granite-walled property on Tresco, in the Isles of Scilly.

The islands are part of the Duchy of Cornwall, which passed from King Charles to Prince William upon the monarch’s ascension.

The Prince and Princess of Wales previously enjoyed a summer staycation with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at Dolphin House in 2019.

The idyllic setting offers complete privacy, set upon an island with just 175 residents, and is only accessible via sea or air.

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