Police launch probe after cannabis farm uncovered at historic Welsh manor that once hosted King Charles

Dan McDonald
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:43:34 +0000

A cannabis farm has been discovered inside a historic Welsh mansion where King Charles once attended a ball marking his investiture as Prince of Wales.

North Wales Police uncovered a large number of well-developed plants at Plas Glynllifon, a 19th-century residence near Caernarfon in Gwynedd.

Officers sealed off the Grade I listed property after executing a warrant on Tuesday.

The drug-growing operation was spread across around a dozen rooms on the building’s top floor.

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Investigators found electricity and water supplies had been illegally diverted into the unoccupied, privately owned mansion to sustain the farm.

No arrests have been made, but officers are expected to remain at the site for several days as inquiries continue.

Superintendent Arwel Hughes, of North Wales Police, told the BBC: "We uncovered a grow, which was on the top floor of the building.

"We estimate around 12 rooms with grows in them and they were fairly mature plants."

He added: "There's lots of information to process today and lots of forensic work to consider, and lots of other digital matter that we are looking at."

The senior officer said he was confident arrests would be made.

Mr Hughes also noted: "Clearly, the electrics are being manipulated and lots of water supply being diverted inside and the property itself is in various states of disrepair."

The neoclassical mansion, built in the 1830s by Lord Newborough, stands on ancestral land once owned by the Glynne and Wynne families.

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The estate features more than 100 rooms, including a ballroom, library and several wine cellars, and sits within 16 acres of Parc Glynllifon.

In 1969, the property hosted a ball for the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles.

The mansion was owned by Caernarfonshire County Council at the time, having been acquired from a timber merchant.

It later changed hands several times and fell into disrepair.

A 2013 purchase aimed to convert the building into a wedding venue, before it was sold to Paul and Rowena Williams, who planned to turn it into a luxury hotel.

Parts of the property were restored and opened to visitors in 2018, but the project later stalled.

The estate entered receivership in 2020, before Manchester-based developer David Savage carried out refurbishment works and listed it for £2million in 2024.

Urban explorers have previously entered the property and shared footage of its interior online.