Princess of Wales wears scarf made of Sudbury silk for Trump visit

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c237pgyzlpno

Version 0 of 1.

The Princess of Wales debuted a new scarf after being given a piece of fabric from Sudbury Silk Mills

Catherine, Princess of Wales has been spotted wearing a scarf made of a luxury fabric which she was gifted during a visit to Suffolk.

The princess was cheered by crowds including schoolchildren as she arrived at the family-run Sudbury Silk Mills last week to celebrate the British textiles industry.

She made her way around the workspaces of various silk manufacturers, including Stephen Walters, which gave her a piece of olive green fabric.

That piece of fabric, featuring a hand drawn flower design, has since been turned into a scarf, which she wore on Thursday while with the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump.

The princess and Melania Trump spent time together during an event at Windsor Castle yesterday

Sarah Thornley, Stephen Walters' key account manager, said it had led to "a lot of inquiries" from fans eager to purchase the same garment as their favourite royal.

"We have had quite a lot of emails and phone calls, so it is very buzzy here and so lovely that we are still reeling from that visit a week on," she said.

"But we sell to a lot of luxury brands so we can only supply that particular silk in a minimum quantity."

Sudbury Silk Mills' Beth Humes showed the princess around the factory

During the visit Catherine got to see the journey fabrics make first-hand, from the design and weaving stages all the way through to inspection and distribution.

She debuted the silk she was given in the form of a scarf during an event with Mrs Trump in the gardens of Frogmore House in Windsor as part of the presidential state visit.

"The fabric is a beautiful, olive green silk on a black warp and the images were originally hand drawn so you have all of that beautiful detail within the silk," added Ms Thornley.

"We gifted her enough fabric to be able to make a garment, hoping we would see it at one point, but we were absolutely amazed to see she had already converted it."

Catherine's visit drew crowds outside Sudbury Silk Mills

Kensington Palace said the princess had "long been passionate" about the importance of the British textiles industry and the visit celebrated its "unique skill".

She stayed in Sudbury longer than had been expected and took time to speak to people who had waited outside.

"She was absolutely more than we had hoped for — so engaged and beautiful and it was a wonderful experience for us all," said Ms Thornley.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.