Abandoned ‘ghost town’ holiday resort with seven-star hotel owned by King Charles

An abandoned ghost town, which is home to a seven-star hotel rumoured to be owned by King Charles, has been left to rot for decades.

The luxury building still stands as the centrepiece of the resort - which fell into disrepair due to widespread looting and vandalism in the Cypriot town of Varosha. The resort once attracted stars and celebrities from across the world. The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus government, which controls the north of the island, has previously claimed the mega Golden Sands Hotel is owned by none other than King Charles himself. The sprawling complex, which first opened its doors in 1974, was proudly dubbed the "world's first seven-star hotel". The site was so massive that a railway line was built to carry guests between rooms, reports The Sun. However, guests didn't have long to enjoy the hotel because the town evacuated within a couple of months.

Dust has been left to cover the swanky tables, cabinets, dishes and crockery for decades inside its glamorous walls. While the rest of the resort has been looted and destroyed, the Golden Sands Hotel has been left as it was - earning the nickname of "the untouched hotel". Several guards continue to monitor and patrol the area and permission is required to enter the surrounding grounds. Despite the local government's claims of a Royal title holder, the Windsors have denied they own it. The UK MOD has also denied rumours of it being protected by UK security officials.

Back in the 1970s, the town was considered a state of the art resort and a tourism breakthrough, even earning the bold title of "a tourist mecca of Cyprus" and the "Vegas of the Mediterranean". Surrounding the Golden Sands are another 45 hotels, 3,000 commercial properties, 60 apartment hotels, 21 banks, 25 museums, 20 theatres, and 99 entertainment venues. Italian Hollywood star Sophia Loren owned one of the properties, and the resort was a favourite of the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch and Brigitte Bardot.

But the dream all came crashing down when Varosha was caught up in fierce fighting in 1974 between Turkey and Greece. Ankara ordered Turkish soldiers to the town amid claims of abuse against Turkish cypriots committed by the Greeks. Locals fled due to fears they might be massacred by the invading Turkish army.

The area was fenced off, stopping anyone from getting inside. Signs warned that it was a "forbidden zone", with tourists banned from entering and taking pictures inside. Some, however, have managed to sneak in to document the site over the years. The United Nations has spent decades trying to use Varosha as a way of keeping peace between the two sides, which are still technically engaged in conflict, with a demilitarized zone dividing the two factions. Varosha is controlled by the self-declared country of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.

Their Prime Minister Ersin Tatar has previously spoken of having hopes of the resort opening properly in the near future. He explained: "Varosha is most definitely going to be opened. The tide has shifted, a new page has been turned. We are successfully continuing on our path. The inventory work is almost complete, we are in the opening phase."

By Ryan FaheyNews Reporter