Meet the coronation tailors who are fit for a King

People across the United Kingdom are gearing up for the Coronation of King Charles III, including the ones in charge of documentaries at the BBC. Across the week, there have been a host of programmes on both TV and radio looking forward to the event.

As Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, says: “The Coronation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to mark history with an unparalleled breadth of programmes. We will have something to enthral all audiences from the pageantry to the procession and the concert, and bring everyone together to celebrate and to share in the significance of the occasion.”

For some people who aren’t directly involved in the event, getting ready for the coronation will mean rifling through their wardrobe for something red, white or blue to wear to a street party, but for the military personnel involved in the official parade, it’s not quite that simple.

So, Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King is going behind the scenes (or seams) at uniform manufacturers, Kashket & Partners, as they pull out all the stops to prepare thousands of spectacular parade uniforms.

And who better to present it than the always dapper Patrick Grant? Although he’s probably best known as a judge on The Great British Sewing Bee, he’s also a bespoke menswear designer – and he has an eye for royal style.

In fact, he told Country & Town House that the King (who was then still the Prince of Wales) had inspired his own fashion sense.

Patrick said: “He has a very singular style: it’s very particular to him, from the way he ties his tie to the cut of his suit and how he always wears a little lapel pin.

“But he is also somebody who cares for his clothes – he even wears pieces of clothing that were his grandfather’s. It’s our philosophy in all of the brands that I run; it’s about buying something that’s good and keeping it for a long time, and so the people I like are those people, that clearly care about their clothing.”

Or, as he told The Guardian when reflecting on the monarch’s dress sense: “As with all great stylists, if you put a bag over his head, you could still tell it was him.”

In this documentary though, the emphasis is on the heritage and history behind the uniforms, as well as the stories of some of the inspiring men and women who will be wearing them.

Patrick also learns about the extraordinary attention to detail that goes into making the ceremonial uniforms – each regiment has different traditions and regalia – and meets the people who are racing against time to alter existing unforms to include new buttons bearing the letters “CR”.

As well as being an insight into the hard work that goes into arranging a major historic event, it’s also a celebration of the best of British manufacture and craftsmanship – so, even if the Coronation hasn’t got you in a patriotic mood, this documentary just might.