King Charles visits the UK’s The Repair Shop to restore royal heirlooms

One of the new King's last TV appearances before ascending to the throne is about to air. Photo / AP

We all know how much the Queen loved a cup of Earl Grey - and it turns out her son King Charles is no different.

Not only that, but the new King knows the right mug is the key to a perfect cuppa. So when he was handed a personalised mug labelled with HRH (standing for his title at the time, His Royal Highness) on British TV show The Repair Shop, it instantly put a smile on his face.

Charles appeared on the popular BBC show to mark the network’s centennial, filmed before the Queen’s death. During the episode, Charles will see the series’ team of craftspeople lovingly restore two royal heirlooms of his choice - a ceramic piece from Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and an 18th-century clock, reports People.

It was a real honour to welcome The former Prince of Wales into the barn.#TheRepairShop: A Royal Visit. Tonight at 8pm on BBC One. pic.twitter.com/DOtJjT5FZ6

— The Repair Shop (@TheRepairShop) October 26, 2022

In a clip shared online, The Repair Shop host Jay Blades welcomed the monarch with a piping hot cup of tea. It was likely one of Charles’ final television appearances in his former role as the Prince of Wales. Had it been filmed after the Queen’s death, he’d have been given a mug with HM for His Majesty.

In a voiceover from the clip, Blades says, “It’s been a real honour to restore these items for a man who loves traditional heritage crafts as we do.”

Charles laughed when the presenter offered him hot tea in the monogrammed mug, matching his own labelled with a J for his first name.

“I don’t believe it! Just what I needed,” Charles said of his cup of Earl Grey with honey and a splash of milk.

“You showed me around your manor, and now I’m going to have a chance to show you around mine,” Blades said - potentially of his investiture as an MBE at Windsor Castle in May.

“We’ve got about 600 years of experience,” he told the monarch. “There is nothing we can’t fix.”

Elsewhere in the episode, the King will meet students enrolled in The Prince’s Foundation’s Building Craft Programme to learn heritage building craft skills, blacksmithing, wood carving and stonemasonry. The programme is designed to help launch apprentices into successful careers in their trade of choice.

BBC Commissioning Editor Julie Shaw said in a statement about the King’s upcoming cameo, “People will see the former Prince of Wales as you rarely see him — and he is as captivated by the skills of the team who work on his items as any of our Repair Shop visitors.

“The episode is a real treat and we hope that people enjoy it as much as we do.”