Old King Cool! Dapper monarch, 74, gets hip with contemporary wardrobe… helped on by cousin David Armstrong-Jones
- King Charles wore a pair of ‘Lemtosh’ glasses worth £315 during his state visit to France
As Prince of Wales, he was hailed as a style icon and described as the best-dressed man in the world. But now the king, 74, has a new fashion secret: he gets tailoring advice from his dapper cousin.
Insiders credit David Armstrong-Jones, the son of Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon, with the increasingly contemporary wardrobe – and trendy accessories – that Charles wears.
An insider says: ‘During the state visit (to France) it was certainly noticed that the king’s clothing has a new “je ne sais quoi” quality.’
A key accessory was a pair of £315 ‘Lemtosh’ sunglasses from US company Moscot, which appropriately has a store on King’s Road in London.
A well-placed source said: ‘French high society was constantly commenting on how chic he looked.
An insider said King Charles’s clothes had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ quality during a state visit to France
A key accessory was a pair of £315 ‘Lemtosh’ sunglasses from US company Moscot, which has a store on King’s Road in London, appropriately
‘David (Armstrong-Jones) lent him a pair of sunglasses and he noticed that they suited the king so well that he went and bought him a pair of sunglasses as a gift.
‘The king has always had a great sense of style and his suits are internationally admired.
‘He believes in ‘buy once, buy well’, so it’s not like he’s been shopping around. There are only small decorations that underline his own sense of style.
‘It helps that people are looking at the King with fresh eyes – seeing him in a different way to how he was seen as the Prince of Wales. He is clearly comfortable in his role as a statesman, so it is this attitude that also comes across as cool.’
A Palace insider added that there were special touches to the king’s outfits during the French tour that may have gone unnoticed.
The keen gardener had brought with him a week’s supply of cornflowers and roses, hand-picked from his garden, for the buttonhole of his jacket.
He wore lighter suits, which made him appear less formal and more approachable. And there is always a colorful handkerchief that may or may not match the suit.
A Palace insider added that there were special touches to the king’s outfits during the French tour that may have gone unnoticed
The King’s cousin David Armstrong-Jones (pictured at the 2022 Wimbledon tennis championship) is assigned Charles’ fresh new look
A pale pink dinosaur tie is one of the king’s favorites because it contains a joke. The Tyrannosaurus and the monarch have something in common, because Rex is the Latin word for king.
In 2009, Esquire crowned the then Prince Charles as the ‘best dressed man’ in the world. The men’s magazine described him as “immaculately dressed” and added that “the prince does an admirable job of keeping his wardrobe in style.” We’re told he has a room set up like a tailor’s shop.’
Now he has extra help with his fashion choices thanks to his cousin. He was Viscount Linley until 2017 and is known professionally as David Linley. After retiring from running his luxury furniture business, the Earl of Snowdon has had more time to help the king.
The pair are said to be close and have been on holiday to Romania, where Charles enjoys walking.