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    Princess of Wales visits family-run Sudbury silk mill
    Royals Gossip

    Princess of Wales visits family-run Sudbury silk mill

    Alice CunninghamEast of England and

    Ben Parkerin Sudbury

    PA Media The Princess of Wales smiles as she greets people. She has long brown hair and wears a grey suit with a black top underneath as well as gold hoop earrings. A man with dark hair and a dark beard wearing a black beanie hat is behind her, smiling.PA Media

    Catherine, Princess of Wales, delighted residents in Sudbury during her visit

    Catherine, Princess of Wales, has visited a silk mill to celebrate the British textiles industry.

    The princess visited Sudbury Silk Mills in Suffolk and was welcomed by residents and schoolchildren hoping to get a glimpse of her.

    The family-run business has been operating in the town for more than 300 years, producing woven silk fabrics.

    Julius Walters, managing director and the 10th generation of his family to lead the business, said the visit was great recognition for the company and the town.

    John Fairhall/BBC A man smiles at the camera. He has grey hair and is wearing a blue jumper with a blue shirt underneath. Behind him, long drapes of silk are hung up on a curtain pole.John Fairhall/BBC

    Julius Walters is the 10th generation in his family to run Sudbury Silk Mills

    “It’s been a wonderful day,” he said.

    “It’s great to have the recognition for everybody here, but also for the local community who turned out in force today as well.

    “[Catherine] was wonderful. She was really engaged and knowledgeable about the industry.”

    John Fairhall/BBC A woman with short blonde hair, wearing a green long sleeved top and brown trousers looks at a table with silk fabric on it. The Princess of Wales listens and looks at the table. She has long brown hair that is lightly curled and she wears a grey suit with a black top underneath.John Fairhall/BBC

    Beth Humes showed the princess around the factory

    Beth Humes, account manager at Sudbury Silk Mills, led Catherine through the design part of the process, explaining how they developed their fabric collections.

    “She’s got a really good understanding of textiles and the industry already,” Ms Humes said.

    “She was really interested in how we go about things and really understood the fabric weights and constructions… it was an amazing point to start from.”

    Ben Parker/BBC The Princess of Wales meets people outside a factory. She is shaking a member of the public's hand and is holding a large bunch of pink, red, orange and yellow flowers. People are waving Union flags. A group of men and women stand behind the princess and watch.Ben Parker/BBC

    The princess met local people in Sudbury

    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.

    Later she travelled to Kent to visit another family-run mill that specialises in hand designing and screen printing furnishing fabrics.

    John Fairhall/BBC A group of schoolchildren wearing matching red uniform wave Union flags at the camera.John Fairhall/BBC

    Children were allowed time out from class to see Catherine

    John Fairhall/BBC The Princess of Wales kneels down slightly as she speaks to a young girl standing at the front of a crowd. The girl has long brown hair and is wearing a pink hoodie.John Fairhall/BBC

    Eloise spoke to the princess outside the silk factory

    Nine-year-old Eloise was one of those waiting to meet Catherine, and she gave the princess flowers.

    “I gave her the flowers and she said thank you and the flowers were really nice,” Eloise explained.

    “[It was] exciting. At first I felt nervous, and then I felt excited.”

    John Fairhall/BBC A woman with a light coloured bob wearing sunglasses, a blue coat and a blue blouse stands next to a taller woman with grey/blonde hair, wearing a yellow raincoat, a light blue jumper and a red top. They are both smiling and people are standing behind them.John Fairhall/BBC

    Jan Scott (left) and Helen Piper-Windus made sure they were out early for the princess

    Helen Piper-Windus and Jan Scott, who both live in Sudbury, had been waiting since 09:00 BST to see Catherine before she arrived at about 11:00 BST.

    “We’ve been waiting a long time… [we had a] spot right at the front and we got some photos,” Ms Piper-Windus said.

    “A little town like Sudbury, for us to have a visit from the princess is amazing.”

    Ms Scott added: “We don’t often get exciting events happening in Sudbury.

    “We were very fortunate… it’s really great and it brings out everybody.

    “There are so many bad things going on in the world, it’s nice to have some respite from it and bring some joy into Suffolk.”

    John Fairhall/BBC A small black and white dog is held in the hands of a woman with short grey hair who is wearing a blue jacket and a white T-shirt as well as sunglasses. The woman is looking down and smiling at the dog.John Fairhall/BBC

    Reggie the dog enjoyed his meeting with the princess alongside owner Dorothy Wallis

    Dorothy Wallis, who attended with her dog Reggie, got a chance to shake the princess’s hand.

    “She was beautiful, more beautiful than you can imagine,” Ms Wallis said.

    “It was quite a moment. I thought she’d quickly come, in fact I was surprised she even did, and then she got hold of my hand and arm.

    “I thanked her for coming over and she said, ‘No – thank you for coming’.”

    John Fairhall/BBC A woman with thick, short blonde hair smiles and stands in front of a pond. She wears a black blazer with a top that has books on it.John Fairhall/BBC

    Penny Wilby said the town’s silk industry had played an important role over the years

    Penny Wilby is from The Best of Sudbury, which helps support local businesses.

    “The silk industry has played a really important part in how Sudbury is now,” she said after the royal visit.

    “Two hundred years ago when the silk mills moved from London up to Sudbury, that had a huge impact on the economy.

    “If you’re wandering around Sudbury you can see the impact in the architecture of the buildings, but also the impact of having that extra money in the economy has created what the town is today.”

    John Fairhall/BBC Crowds of people look into a industrial site from behind a fence.John Fairhall/BBC

    Catherine’s visit drew crowds outside Sudbury Silk Mills

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