King Charles Wearing Patched Up Suit Goes Viral: 'Curb the Excesses'

King Charles III has become the focus of a new viral social media post praising his thrifty attitude to clothing.

Over the years, Charles has been seen on a number of occasions wearing items from his wardrobes that have been visibly patched, mended and restored, in keeping with his eco-conscious sensibilities.

The prince has been a longtime environmental activist, making his first speech about the dangers of pollution as far back as the 1970s. His work to combat climate change often saw him the butt of jokes in the 1980s and 1990s. However, he has since been praised as being ahead of the curve on these issues.

On September 6, menswear writer and editor, Derek Guy, spotlighted Charles' make-do-and-mend wardrobe attitude in a post to his popular X, formerly known as Twitter, account, which has since gone viral.

In a post discussing the unsustainable practices of the fashion industry and how consumers could seek alternatives, Guy told his 500,000 followers that they could take their lead from King Charles.

"One way to help curb the excesses of fast fashion is to encourage ppl (people) to value the patina and wear-and-tear that good clothes develop," he said. "That way, they: 1) Buy less, buy better; 2) Buy vintage; 3) Wear things."

As examples, Guy provided "King Charles' patched-up suit" and "King Charles' patched-up shoes," along with two more examples of repaired clothing items.

Charles has been photographed on a number of occasions wearing repaired items of clothing and discussed his attitude towards his wardrobe in an 2020 interview with British Vogue editor, Edward Enninful.

Enninful noted that for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle two years earlier, Charles had worn a morning suit he'd been spotted in numerous times over four decades, and asked whether the royal had considered having a new one made.

"I've considered it," Charles said. "But in the case of that particular morning coat, as long as I can go on getting into it, I only wear it a few times a year, in the summer, so obviously you want to keep those sorts of things going. But if I can't fit into them, then I just have to have something new made. But I'm not sure quite how radically different they can be at my age."

Guy's X post has been viewed more than 400,000 times on the platform so far, receiving in excess of 4,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have referenced Charles' ethos.

"Whenever my husband's shirts get particularly frayed around the collar he calls them aristocratic and happily continues to wear them," wrote one X user. "Love the pictures of King Charles making do and mending."

"I am rather surprised the king has a patched coat that looks patched," another added. "The shoes look nice though."

This is not the first time Charles' fashion choices have been the subject of social media discussion.

In January, royal watchers spotted that the new king had worn an overcoat to church on New Year's Day that had been in his wardrobe for over 40 years, which resulted in a number of viral posts to X and TikTok.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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