Catherine Zeta Jones backs bid for site of Welsh palace

The Hollywood actress shows she is still in touch with her Welsh roots with a donation to help secure a landmark in the royal history of the country

The 13th-century palace of Llywelyn The Great and his grandson Llywelyn the Last is believed to have stood at Abergwyngregyn, near Bangor in North Wales. Now the Garth Celyn Trust plans to erect a public monument to the Welsh princes at the site and preserve the area for the benefit of present and future generations.

Catherine Zeta Jones has backed the trust’s campaign, making a ‘substantial’ donation to their bid for the farmland thought to be the site of the palace.

Zeta Jones has made a “substantial” donation to a trust bidding to buy up farmland thought to be the site of the palace of the Llywelyn princes. The ancient palace is, according to legend, now the site of the mansion of Pen-y-Bryn that dates back to 1624.

Pen-y-Bryn’s current resident Kathryn Gibson said: “The locals have always called the house Llewelyn’s Tower and it seems this local lore has been handed down over the centuries. It’s great that Catherine Zeta Jones is showing an interest.”