Catherine visits two mills to highlight British textile sector

Catherine, Princess of Wales, visited two historic textile mills on Thursday, September 11, rolling up her sleeves to meet workers, try her hand at screen printing and spotlight the skills and jobs that sustain Britain’s textile industry. The Princess spent the morning at Sudbury Silk Mills in Suffolk before travelling to Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent, where she toured production floors and spoke with staff and local schoolchildren.

The visits were intended to celebrate British craftsmanship and to highlight the creative and employment opportunities in textile manufacturing, officials said. At Sudbury Silk Mills, a family run weaving business that operates more than 40 looms and supplies fabrics to fashion houses and heritage institutions, Catherine observed design processes, viewed looms in operation and inspected the quality control stage of finished fabrics. At Marina Mill she donned an apron and tried traditional screen printing, pressing a squeegee across fabric under the guidance of staff.

“It must be amazing seeing the artwork go onto fabrics,” the Princess remarked during one demonstration, asking which customers take the designs into collections, officials and local...