Yahoo Finance How Prince Charles became the king of cost-per-wear buying
On matters of style, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales takes a pragmatic approach: ‘I have lurched from being the best-dressed man to the worst-dressed man,’ he once said. ‘Meanwhile, I have gone on – like a stopped clock – and my time comes around every 25 years.’ And this is his moment. Because alongside HRH’s Campaign for Wool, which supports British mills, and his work to support vanishing craft skills such as hand-sewing and embroidery, the Prince is a passionate advocate of a stitch in time.
‘People throw so much away when they could easily mend,’ he told textile workers at Emma Willis’s shirt factory in 2020. And darn, patch up and stitch he does – or a skilled valet sees to it – because his wardrobe is made up of decades-old pieces that have stood the test of time.
A loyal client of traditional tailor Anderson & Sheppard, as well as a staunch supporter of Savile Row, he has a discreet patch on the jacket of his favourite suit, his trusty gardening cover-up has seen better days, and a coat he wore while courting Lady Diana Spencer still does the rounds. During Second Hand September, we salute the wardrobe staples that prove the future monarch has no time for the Emperor’s new clothes.
Long & faithful service
This handsome Anderson & Sheppard overcoat in a discreet herringbone first appeared in 1986, and has been a hardy perennial ever since.
Prince of tails
The sign of a true toff is a morning suit in light grey, rather than black – ask anyone at Royal Ascot. Prince Charles’s elegant version has graced the Royal Enclosure for decades, and he donned it to escort Meghan Markle up the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
Firm favourite
The Prince’s enduring love of double-breasted jackets is inherited from his father, and this light-grey suit – with peak lapels to broaden the shoulders – has been mended on the left-hand side. Little wonder, given it’s seen him through any number of foreign tours.
Country air apparent
A love of rural life has seen the Prince chat to his plants in all manner of get-ups, from a shabby gamekeeper jacket to patchwork cagoule and a trusty old Barbour.
Christmas camel
The Prince’s take on festive attire, this beautiful camel coat has been a staple at Sandringham since the 1980s, appearing regularly for walks to church on Christmas morning.
Monarch of the Glens
This moss-green wool jacket, resplendent with gold buttons, is a Balmoral mainstay, bright enough to stand out in the heather and warm enough for sitting watching kilt-clad muscle-men toss cabers at the Braemar Gathering.
