Villagers accuse Prince Charles of getting special treatment over plans for his Welsh retreat

The Prince is hoping for permission to build a bathroom extension, barn conversion and two new dwellings at the farmhouse in Carmarthenshire.

A decision was deferred at a planning meeting on Thursday.

But neighbours Kerry and Jacqueline Thompson told the BBC website that when they wanted to build a new dwelling on their property for a relative, they were told it breached planning rules.

According to the BBC, the application has been recommended for approval.

Mrs Thompson told the BBC: "The policy of not being allowed to build in open countryside seems to have been cast aside - this application seems to be getting preferential treatment."

Her husband added: "I've got nothing against Prince Charles moving to the area - he seems a nice enough lad.

"But there seems to be one rule for one and one rule for another.

"My brother is a forestry worker who has lived in Carmarthenshire all his life - my brother even told them he would not sell the property - they could put a clause in that it would be kept in the family.

"What the prince needs the accommodation for is up to him - why can't my brother live in the area where he was born and bred?"

The Prince and Duchess' holiday home is surprisingly understated considering their status.

In fact, it is hard to imagine a less likely setting for the future King and his wife.

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The master bedroom - lit by a dingy lamp dangling from the ceiling - screams pink, from the bedspread to the walls.

And two large brown wardrobes flank the double bed, jostling for position with a distinctly MFI-style white chest of drawers.

There is even less space in the second bedroom, but at least the three giant wardrobes towering over the bed will provide amply for the Duchess's country outfits.

A pull-switch to operate the light dangles over the pillows, and there is a 1960s headboard and more floral wallpaper.

It is a fascinating through-the-keyhole glimpse into Charles and Camilla's new country home, a stone coach house in a West Wales hamlet.

The couple fell in love with Llwywormwood in Myddfai, near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, on a visit to the area, and bought it from its current owner.

The living room is the type that might be described by an estate agent as 'compact' or 'cosy'.

It is so small that a three-piece sofa and armchair set, covered in cheap brown velour, completely dominate the space, almost blocking the glass-panelled door. One chair cannot even be pushed up against the wall because the grandfather clock is in the way.

Plates and ornamental cooking pans hang from the walls, and what looks like a gas heater stands in front of the brick fireplace. Ceramic trinkets balanced on wooden lattice frames decorate the other bare white walls.

The coach house stands in a 192-acre organic farm, which is perhaps what attracted Charles to it. He has agreed that, when he and the Duchess are not resident, the three-bedroom property can be rented out for bed-and-breakfast, likely to cost up to £600 a week.

A spokeswoman for Carmarthenshire Council told the BBC: "The planning committee deals with all applications in accordance with planning rules and regulations.

"The Llwynwormwood application will not be treated any differently to any other application and the proper procedures have been, and will be, followed at all times."