King Charles and Queen Camilla took a moment away from palace life to celebrate two decades of craftsmanship at the 20th anniversary exhibition for Turquoise Mountain.
The event, held in the Garrison Chapel at Chelsea Barracks, highlighted artisans from Afghanistan, Jordan, Myanmar, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.
Among the demonstrations, Saudi palm weaver Fayza Al-Mansouri showed off her intricate technique to the king, who declared: “I am so proud of all of you,” and asked her if she had learned the craft from her mother.
The royal couple were later invited to participate themselves by applying the final touches of mother-of-pearl inlay to beautifully crafted Syrian jewelry boxes, each personalized with their numerals.
Moataz Hammoush said that watching the king handle the delicate post was “a mixture of pride and disbelief”, it had opened doors to markets and designers he could never have reached on his own.
At the exhibition, Mrs Stewart, representing the charity, paid tribute to the King’s vision: “This is the community, the monarch, that you have brought together. No one else could have created this project.”
