King Charles was visibly moved as he viewed the handiwork on an 18th-century clock whose chimes had been restored, remarking that it “shows what love, care and attention does.”
In a one-off episode to mark the BBC’s centenary,The Repair Shop visited Dumfries House in Scotland to help Charles, who was still the Prince of Wales, with a bracket clock and a Wemyss Ware ceramic piece.
Before the big reveal, presenter Jay Blades greeted the monarch with a cup of Earl Grey tea presented in an HRH mug, to which Charles responded: “How did you guess.”
As he entered The Repair Shop barn, Charles asked horologist Steve Fletcher: “Have you got the bells working again? The suspense is killing me.”
Following the uncovering, the royal said: “Oh my, look at that you see. Fantastic. It just shows what love, care and attention does. Marvellous.”
He added: “Having seen what it was like I can’t thank you enough, it really is wonderful. It will look really special back in Dumfries House.”
After the pendulum was swung in order to hear the clock’s tick tock, Charles glanced at his wristwatch to compare the time, saying: “Sorry, just checking.”
On hearing the clock’s chime, Charles added: “You see, such a good sound. That’s it, just trying to work out what the tune is. It’s a Scottish tune, is it?
“It took me a long time to realise there is one at Clarence House that plays the national anthem, it took me a long time to realise it was.”
Talking about the clock, which had been hidden under a Rothesay tartan, Charles joked: “Very tactful” – referring to his previous Scottish title as the Duke of Rothesay.
Previously in The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit episode, Charles had explained his love of clocks.
“To me I just love the sound, the tick tock but also if they chime, that’s why I love grandfather clocks,” he said. “I find it rather reassuring in a funny way and they become really special parts of the house … the beating heart of it. So that’s why they matter to me.
“I’m afraid it is something I learned from my grandmother, she had great fun putting a few together and trying to get them to chime at the same time in the dining room, which made it very enjoyable because everybody had to stop talking.”
Later in the episode, Charles was shown restorations made to the damaged 19th century piece made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee by British ceramics maker Wemyss Ware.
“I fear it was a terrible challenge. I told you it would test you,” he said to ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay.
After the reveal, Charles said: “Now look at that. That is fantastic, it really is. How you do it I don’t know.”
He twisted the piece around to get a better look, adding: “I would never have believed that, I really wouldn’t. I was thinking as I was coming ‘I bet she hasn’t managed it.’
“It’s my favourite, I have been collecting these for years, Wemyss Ware, utterly wonderful. I’m thrilled I promise you.
“Now you can all get back to what you’re meant to be doing rather than me getting in the way, so thank you.”
When Blades asked if he was happy about the restorations, Charles added: “Oh God yes. I am so grateful to you.”
The episode also saw Charles meet students from the Prince’s Foundation Building Craft Programme – a training initiative that teaches traditional skills such as blacksmithing, stonemasonry and wood carving.
Read The Independent’s review of The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit here.
