Soldier from King's Guard asks Tettenhall tailor to prepare uniform for coronation
Staff at an independent Wolverhampton tailors says they felt honoured after a member of the King's Guard requested his uniform be fitted by the shop in the run-up to next weekend's coronation.
Tettenhall Tailors, on High Street, Tettenhall, has been working non-stop to tailor the uniform for a loved customer.
Soldiers of the King's Guard will be featured in the royal procession among members of other branches of the armed forces.
Shop owner Gurinder Dhillon said: "We do tailor for most things, anything from bridal wear, proms, uniforms, made-to-measure suits, we try our hardest for our customers.
"But we really didn't expect a customer to come in with a royal dress uniform, we were really surprised but we wanted to do our best."
The customer, who didn't want to be named, visited for adjustments and to get the ceremonial outfit's insignias attached – giving the tailor shop only a week to modify the uniform.
"It was such an honour to do something like this. We really treat every article of clothing that comes in here with respect, but this was such an honour.
"The whole team worked on this piece and honestly it was such an honour to be working on something with something so important."
The King's Guard uniform features a neck-high black tunic, chain mail shoulder guards and gold leg stripe, the uniform is commonly used for ceremonial occasions such as parades and state funerals as well as public duties around the royal residencies.
Mr Dhillon continued: "As a team, it was an honour working on a uniform with such a long history behind it, we wanted to give it the respect it deserved and the customer seemed very happy with the results.
"We really do have an amazing team here, we treat every item that comes in with respect and give it the attention it deserves and hopefully that shows in our work."
The tailors worked on the uniform to get it to the customer's specifications, placing special care on the placements of chevrons and other insignia to stick within regulation.
The tailor said: "We made sure to get everything just as the customer wanted it as it is very specific where stuff goes, the team tried really hard to make sure that it is exactly how he wanted it.
"It is a real testament to the work of the staff that they managed to get this how the client wanted it, we are all very honoured."
The coronation of King Charles III will start at 11am on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey, and will be followed by a procession, a concert and nationwide lunches.
