Beaming King Charles steps out for annual Christmas fair celebrating traditional crafts

By Emma Soteriou

The King has spoken about the "battle" to maintain "timeless skills" as he met artists and craftspeople working to keep traditional crafts alive.

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Charles enjoyed a "Crafts at Christmas" event showcasing painting, millinery and embroidery created by tutors and students from the King's Foundation's education programmes.

He was presented with a box of baubles created by students on a post-graduate furniture course and marvelled at the square ornaments they had carved from alder, oak and cedar.

After hanging a bauble on a Christmas tree outside the Orchard Room - an events space in the grounds of his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire - Charles said: "It's really trying to maintain the timeless skills, which are always needed really, whatever age we're in.

"They are all rather disappearing, the battle is trying to keep all the special ones."

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Milliner Emily Rose Saunders, who is studying with the foundation, showed the King a wide-brimmed hat she had made from hemp and other materials.

She said afterwards: "The King was talking about bringing crafts back to the UK and he said he was excited at the prospect."

The King's Foundation offers education courses for almost 15,000 students annually, health and wellbeing programmes for nearly 2,000 people each year, and spearheads placemaking and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas.

It acts as the custodian of Highgrove Gardens, which is home to education programmes in traditional and heritage crafts, including the Snowdon School of Furniture and the Metiers d'Arts Fellowship in partnership with Chanel and Le19M.

Outside, Charles heard carols sung by members of Rock Choir and was handed a cone of roasted chestnuts by vendor Paul Venn.

"When I handed him the nuts he says he loves them, but he ate so many when he was young he couldn't eat another," Mr Venn said.