The King was front and centre at London Fashion Week today, just two hours after making an unprecedented statement following the arrest of his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
If he was feeling the strain of the day’s events, he did not show it and appeared to enjoy himself as he chatted to designers and fashion industry figures at the prestigious opening.
The monarch sat in the front row for the catwalk show by British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, who was supported by his King’s Trust’s Enterprise Programme in 2018. He clapped along to the music and chatted to both designer Stella McCartney and Laura Weir, CEO of the British Fashion Council as models wearing her creations sashayed past.
At one point, the rapper Little Simz began to perform from her seat a couple of feet away from him before getting up to join the band at the centre of the space at 180 Studios in the Strand.
Charles had earlier greeted Stella with kisses as he toured her installation on sustainable British innovation. The designer was today unveiled as an Ambassador of The King’s Sustainable Markets Initiative and she showed him examples of sustainable materials she is using in her collections, including plant-based Ostrich feather alternatives, plastic-free sequins and a leather substitute made from mushrooms.
“I wanted to introduce you to some of the innovators I’m working with,” she told the King. Handing him a sample of the leather substitute, she said, “This is mushroom and this again is scalable, feel that, you would think that was leather. It’s mushroom. So we’re very excited, we’re trying to really transform the industry and make it something you can actually buy.” She appeared to respond to a question from the King about her father, Sir Paul McCartney, saying, “He’s great, he’s great. You guys need to hang out.”
The King presented her with a sustainably produced Mongolian cashmere scarf by made by Erdos and bearing the Jonny-Ive designed Terra Carta seal – a mark awarded to brands driving innovation and sustainability. As they posed for a photograph, holding the scarf between them for the cameras, Stella told the monarch: “Ready? Come on, cheesy smile.”
Then taking charge of the situation and unfolding the scarf properly, she added: “OK, I’ll do this. Let me organize this. Here you go, come on. There you go your Majesty. Ready? Pull it, pull it.” Charles, caught up in a conversation to his other side, didn’t quite follow orders and left the scarf still unfurled at his end.
Asked later for her reaction to her new role with the King’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, she said: “I’m really proud to be the first ambassador of fashion. I’m very excited to do great things with the honour.”
© Getty ImagesCharles also met young designers taking part in couture, millinery and embroidery programmes run by his King’s Foundation at Highgrove and Dumfries House in Scotland. Hearing how one was based at a newly converted farmhouse at the Ayrshire estate, he asked: “Oh is it ready? So people can stay there?” The King was shown around by Laura Weir and Sarah Mower, ambassador for emerging talent at the British Fashion Council, which runs London Fashion Week.
“I’m so glad you’re still here,” he told Sarah as she introduced him to a series of young designers, several of whom had been supported by his charities. They included King’s Trust alumna and womenswear designer Talia Byre, King’s Foundation graduate E.W. Usie and Priya Ahluwalia, whose sustainable luxury brand won the Queen Elizabeth II Award for design in 2021.
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