‘She’s got the skill’: Kate turns her hand to needle and thread at woollen mill

The Princess of Wales was praised for her skills with a needle and thread when given the chance to mend luxurious fabrics at a Welsh woollen mill.

Kate stepped out in a vintage Welsh wool coat for her visit to Melin Tregwynt, which produces blankets and throws from a remote part of Pembrokeshire.

The future queen was shown the whole production process, from the weaving of the woollen cloth to finishing details added to the fabrics.

When offered the chance in the quality control department to help repair a broken thread in a roll of fabric, she bent over the reversible cloth, guided by staff member Paula Harding, and said: “You have to have really good eyesight and patience.”

Kate completed a small 2in repair and Ms Harding said later: “She did it right, it’s amazing, and she didn’t go through the other side, that’s skill – she’s got the skill.”

After being told Ms Harding was the third generation of her family to work at Melin Tregwynt, based near Fishguard, the princess said: “That’s what’s wonderful about these family businesses, they’re so based on these families and intergenerations passing on these techniques.”

Melin Tregwynt was run for more than 100 years by generations of the Griffiths family before it was set up as an employee-owned trust in 2022.

Known for the high quality of its wool blankets and throws, with blankets selling for up to £450, the company still weaves its fabrics in the centuries-old mill bought by Henry Griffiths in 1912 when he started the business.

When she visited the workshop, where staff used sewing machines to stitch edges to the cloths, one of the final processes, Kate confessed: “I was trying some sewing at Christmas time – I was very slow.”

Later, the princess visited Hiut Denim, a family-owned jeans manufacturer based in Cardigan.

The town has been home to jeans production since the 1960s, where its first jeans factory employed more than 400 people making 35,000 pairs a week.

That factory closed in 2002 when production moved to Morocco, but Hiut brought those manufacturing skills back when the company was founded in 2011.

Its jeans hit the headlines in 2018 when the Duchess of Sussex wore a pair on her first royal engagement to Wales with her husband the Duke of Sussex.

On arrival, the princess met chief executive Johann von Loeper, who introduced her to his mother and fiancee.

And during a tour of the factory, Kate made a fuss of Mr von Loeper’s English cocker spaniel Barney – the same breed as the Wales’s dog Orla.

Her Royal Highness met Claudio Belotti, 75, who has 50 years of cutting experience.

At this point she had a go at cutting out a pair of organic Mari jeans – the firm’s soon to be on sale slim fit women’s denims – and joked there was “no pressure”.

While cutting, Kate said: “I love making things, so I think I would really enjoy making denims.

“The most adventurous I got was making a pair of pyjamas… and I don’t know where they have gone now.”

The Princess went on to the factory floor where she learnt about the history of the company and had the opportunity to stitch on a “Made in Wales” label to a pair of £245 organic Hack jeans which were to be given to her as a present for the Prince of Wales.

When told the trousers were a gift for her husband, she replied: “He will love those.”

As a thank you for the visit, Kate was presented with a pair of Mari jeans, for herself, and the Hack denims for William.

Before departing, Kate greeted well-wishers who had gathered outside the factory to catch a glimpse of the royal visitor.

She stopped to speak with one man who asked her how Prince George was, and she replied: “He’s doing very well thank you. They are at school today and I am going to go back and see them this evening.”

The man asked: “I hope you’re getting better really soon after what happened to you.”

Kate replied: “Thank you very much. This is good for my soul meeting wonderful people.”

The future queen has a keen interest in fabrics and textiles and has visited a number of weaving mills and manufacturers over the past 12 months.

She toured a tartan-weaving studio in Stirling in January and last year visited textile makers in Carmarthenshire, Suffolk, Kent and Co Tyrone, and looked at a William Morris fabric sample book during a visit to the V&A East Storehouse in Stratford, east London.