Thrifty Prince Charles keeps bag of scrap material to repair suits 30 years on

The Prince of Wales for Country Life
The Prince of Wales for Country Life Credit: John Paul / Country Life Picture Library

As heir to the throne, he could be expected to have a new suit for every occasion. In fact, it has emerged, the Prince of Wales’ tailor keeps scrap material from every suit he has ever commissioned, in case it needs mending decades later.

Anderson & Sheppard, which has been supplying the Prince with tailor-made suits for more than 30 years, keeps a special box of leftover material from every garment ever made for him, on the off-chance it is ever needed again.

It is believed to include material from the grey morning suit the Prince wore to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, first tailored in 1984 and worn many times since.

In a special issue of Country Life magazine, which the Prince has guest edited on the occasion of his 70th birthday, he invites readers behind the scenes at his two best-known tailors, Ede & Ravenscroft and Anderson & Sheppard.

Given a tour by John Hitchcock, the now “quasi-retired” managing director of Anderson & Sheppard, the magazine said the Prince “insisted on using only British fabric, generally from smaller mills, and that he’d been extremely supportive of the firm’s apprentices, coming in to meet them in 2016”.

The Anderson & Sheppard cutting room team
The Anderson & Sheppard cutting room team Credit: Ian Teh

Describing the visit, the Country Life writer said: “Then, I spotted the cardboard box. It was hidden under one of the work tables and had ‘Prince Charles’ scrawled on the side in black felt tip.

“As it was being dragged out, Mr Hitchcock explained that it contained offcuts from every garment The Prince of Wales had ever commissioned.

“'We keep these, of course, for when we need to mend or repair anything'," he said with an air of diffidence.

“The box struck me as strangely domestic and intimate.

Anderson & Sheppard measure books 
Anderson & Sheppard measure books 

“It wasn’t in the least bit organised and the scraps were all shapes and sizes, jumbled in together, putting me in mind of my grandmother’s sewing basket.

“It spoke of the traditional values of craftsmanship and frugality, as well as of a long and close association. If I were to write a history of one of the world’s best-dressed men, it’s certainly where I would begin.”

The tailor has previously been reported to save off-cuts of material to turn into coats for the Prince’s dogs.

The Prince's much-mended jacket
The Prince's much-mended jacket Credit: Countryfile

The Prince is well known for his thrifty approach to clothing. His appearance on Countryfile in 2013 caused amusement among viewers for his patched-up jacket, which was still going strong despite clearly seeing better days.

His Royal Air Force uniform is understood to date back to 1972, he still wears a pair of shoes bought in 1971, and has his dinner jacket cuffs deliberately turned up so they can be easily repaired as and when they get frayed.

The Prince of Wales at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
The Prince of Wales at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Credit: PA

In an interview with an Australian magazine earlier this year, he said: “I have always believed in trying to keep as many of my clothes and shoes going for as long as possible (some go back to 1971 and one jacket to 1969!) - through patches and repairs - and in this way I tend to be in fashion once every 25 years.

'It is extraordinary how fashions change and, speaking as someone who, on the whole, hates throwing away things without finding another use for them or mending them, I couldn't be more delighted if, at last, there is a growing awareness of the urgent need to get away from the 'throwaway society' and to move towards a more 'circular economy'.”

A special edition of Country Life
A special edition of Country Life

The Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday commemorative issue of Country Life is on sale on Wednesday. 

Do you share Prince Charles' thrifty habits? What tips and tricks do you use to extend the life of your clothes? Let us know in the comments section below.

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