Celebrity interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has delivered a scathing assessment of Buckingham Palace, comparing it to Fawlty Towers and claiming it 'smells of cabbage and sticky carpets.' The 61-year-old former Changing Rooms star made the remarks during an interview with Heat magazine, while also sharing his views on Meghan Markle's experience within the Royal Family and the ongoing rift between Prince Harry and his relatives.
Buckingham Palace Needs a Makeover
Llewelyn-Bowen, who presents the True Royalty podcast, said: 'I was at Buckingham Palace recently and it looks like Fawlty Towers. Once a grand, lovely space, it now has a feeling of a shuffy old golf hotel, which smells of cabbage and sticky carpets.' The designer suggested the iconic royal residence could benefit from one of his signature makeovers.
Views on Meghan Markle and Royal Rift
Reflecting on the Duchess of Sussex's time within the Royal Family, Llewelyn-Bowen claimed: 'I think she felt that she was in The Princess Diaries and mistook joining the British royal family for Genovia.' Addressing the rift between Harry and the Royal Family, he said: 'I might live quite close to the King, but he keeps very close counsel on that. I'm sure it's a source of great sadness that he doesn't have easy access to Harry and his grandchildren. As a grandfather myself, it would break my heart not to see my silly, foolish, flighty grandchildren every day.'
Life in the Cotswolds
Llewelyn-Bowen also opened up about his home life with his wife Jackie, whom he has been married to for 37 years. 'We've done everything together. Me being on telly and everything I've achieved has been with her motivating it and calling the shots. We are such incredible friends and have this great life with more than enough gin, because that is the secret to a happy life,' he said.
The couple relocated to a 17th-century Grade II-listed manor house in Siddington, near Cirencester, in 2007. Llewelyn-Bowen praised Cirencester as 'a wonderful place' with flourishing independent businesses. He noted that he and his family reside in the 'slumming end' of the area, alongside King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the late Jilly Cooper, rather than the celebrity hotspot associated with David Beckham, Jeremy Clarkson, and David Cameron.
'It's all about start-ups,' he said. 'It's all about people who've got a real passion for what they do, be that furnishing accessories, be that fashion, be that coffee, be that restaurants. We've got some incredible restaurants in Cirencester now as well.'
Reality TV and Reinvention
Llewelyn-Bowen joked that his wife has barred him from further reality television after his ordeal on Celebrity Bear Hunt, where he required rescuing after losing consciousness beneath a capsized raft during a task with Bear Grylls in Costa Rica. 'I loved it! Despite the whole dying thing,' he said, adding: 'It was an extraordinary experience. In my head, I was James Bond, but in reality, I was Grandpa Pig.' He also remarked: 'Mrs Llewelyn-Bowen has forbidden me from doing anything. I can't even do Bake Off because the cherry falls off the top of the cake and hits me in the eye.'
The television personality is now relishing what he describes as a 'reinvention' as an artist.
