Prince Charles charmed the staff of his shirt maker’s workshop with a relatable joke about his struggle to stay in shape.
Yesterday, the royal, 71, visited the Gloucester workshop of designer Emma Willis, who’s been making his shirt for years.
When Willis gifted him with a brand new shirt, personable Charles thanked her for keeping his measurements, and quipped he struggled to keep them in check, HELLO! Magazine reported.
‘Very kind of you – you’ve got my measurements. I struggle to keep them the same, a never-ending battle,’ Charles said with a cheeky smile.
Prince William, 71, joked about the never ending battle to keep a slim figure during his visit to Emma Willis’s workshop in Gloucester yesterday (pictured)
A portrait of Charles shared on his 42 birthday in November 1990 and taken at the Queen Mother’s residence, Birkhall, Aberdeenshire. The Prince has always been an advocate for healthy eating
Charles has long been an advocate for healthy eating habits, with a diet revolving around organic food, and meat-free days, and he’s remained fit and active despite being in his eighth decade.
For his 71st birthday in November, the Duchess of Cornwall treated him to a holistic holiday where they dinned on vegetarian food and practiced yoga.
It was reported Charles met Camilla at her favourite wellness resort SOUKYA, in Bangalore, India.
The future king has been candid about his eating habits in the past. In 2004, when Charles was 55, it was reported he followed the Des Diet – named after entertainer Des O’Connor.
Dapper at 55. In 2004, it was reported Charles ate a light breakfast and skipped lunch, making dinner his main meal of the day, in order to stay trim (pictured at the Pollenzo food university, in northern Italy in October 2004)
According to reports, Prince Charles, pictured in Mumbai in 2019, joined his wife at her favourite wellness resort SOUKYA – a treat she’d booked for his 71st birthday
For the Prince’s 71st birthday in 2019, schoolchildren presented Prince Charles with a present featuring the stories of Hindu deity Krishna, told with tiny figures in three bonsai gardens, during a reception from the British Asian Trust for the royal in Mumbai, on day two of his visit to India
The diet consists of eating just one full meal a day to stay trim.
Royal insiders confirmed at the time that Charles ate a light breakfast, skipped lunch and had his one main meal in the evenings.
One courtier said: ‘It can be a problem sometimes. When we do day visits or foreign tours, he can go the whole day without stopping for a break, which means we all have to miss our lunch as well.
‘It’s good in a way, because it means he has time to meet more people, but he doesn’t seem to notice all the rumbling stomachs around him. You just learn that you have to have a big breakfast on those days.’
The Prince of Wales unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark his visit at the Emma Willis LTD factory, while Emma Willis watched on yesterday
Prince Charles was all smiles as he spoke to employees during his visit at the Emma Willis LTD factory
A Clarence House spokesman had said at the time: ‘The Prince of Wales has long been an advocate of healthy eating, and he does encourage people to have a healthy diet.’
During yesterday’s visit Charles, who looked dapper in a dark grey suit, arrived at the Emma Willis LTD factory and could be seen smiling and clapping as he unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion.
Emma Willis Ltd first set up her clothing brand in 1989, where she set to work making bespoke shirts in a South East London factory.
In 1999, she opened a shop on Jermyn Street, before opening the factory at Bearland House in 2010.
Emma Willis Ltd also works closely with Gloucester-based companies in a bid to help vulnerable members of the public struggling with employment.
She now has over 30 employees – including two Syrian refugees – one being Nareen Hussain, a cutter, who Charles could be seen speaking to in the cutting room.