Jay Blades felt “proper special” being invited to King Charles' Coronation.
'The Repair Shop' star was among the 2,000-plus guests lucky enough to be inside Westminster Abbey, in London, to witness King Charles III be officially proclaimed Britain’s new monarch and head of the Commonwealth last Saturday (06.05.23).
Jay - who received his MBE from the then Prince Charles at Windsor Castle in May 2022 - was very surprised to receive an invitation in the post to the special event.
Speaking at the Craftworks launch at Shoreditch Town Hall in London on Wednesday (10.05.23), the 53-year-old furniture restorer exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “Whoever thinks that they’re gonna get an invite where the King says to you, ‘I want you to be at my party,' that doesn’t happen that often.
“Someone put it to me like this, they said that you are 1 in 2,200 people in the world that was invited. So that means you’re proper special.”
King Charles, 74, appeared on Jay's series 'The Repair Shop' in October 2022 to mark the BBC’s Centenary and had two items lovingly restored, an 18th century bracket clock and a 19th century Wemyss Ware ceramic vase made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
After helping to restore those treasured possessions for Charles, Jay would have loved to have been part of the team who restored the 700-year-old Coronation Chair and he admits his involvement with The Prince’s Foundation is something that gives him great pride.
He said: "On 'The Repair Shop' we fixed two things for him and those were successful.
"Mainly I’m working with him on his project which is The Prince’s Foundation by being an ambassador for that and championing all the work that they do.”
The media personality - who grew up in Hackney - has teamed up with Craftworks, which is a new exhibition coming to London in 2024 that aims to celebrate the best in British craft.
With a focus on British craftsmanship, the exhibition hopes to generate business for crafts people whose skills are little known, due to being lost to mass manufacturing; as well as revitalise and attract the next generation of crafts people to future proof some of the world’s oldest crafts practices.
Held in the beautiful and iconic Shoreditch Town Hall, Craftworks will house four very distinct exhibition areas ensuring that the event is accessible for all crafts people. The venue is perfect for presenting the very best craftspeople and designer makers from across the UK and overseas.
The exhibition hopes to attract sponsors of the various areas and is looking for businesses that share in the vision of championing great British craftmanship and design and sustainability.
Nicole Chrysostomou, Craftworks organiser, said: “The UK has long been at the forefront of exceptional craftmanship which is why we want to create an exhibition that celebrates the very best of British craft and design. Our goal is to bring these great designers, craftsmen, architects and more under one roof in support of the sector. We look forward to welcoming craftspeople and brands from across the country."
