Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were yesterday given a handcrafted Maltese lace tablecloth when they unexpectedly popped into a fine gift shop in Mdina after recognising the 91-year-old owner.
Jane Attard, who runs Greenhand Leathercraft together with her son, was thrilled when the Prince of Wales, whom she had last seen in 1968, dropped by.
She had come across him a few minutes earlier outside the Mdina Cathedral while the Royal couple were on a walkabout in the morning before returning to the UK.
Describing the heir to the throne as “very humble”, she told this newspaper how she was greeted warmly by him and his wife. The Duchess of Cornwall was about to pay for the tablecloth but Ms Attard insisted it was a gift.
Ms Attard and her late husband John had set up their own retail business in 1945, specialising in the manufacturing of leather goods. Over the years, she produced bespoke garments for Prince Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, as well as for their great-uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten, along with a host of ambassadors and governors. Hanging proudly in the shop is a framed yellowing letter, bearing the letterhead of Buckingham Palace and affectionately addressing Ms Attard’s husband as ‘Johnnie’. It bears the signature of squadron leader David Checketts and is dated July 17, 1968.
The letter reads: “Prince Charles has particularly asked me to write and let you know how delighted he was with the suede belts and leather bag that you made for him during his holiday in Malta, and to send you his very sincere thanks and best wishes.”
The Royal couple were greeted by Archbishop Charles Scicluna at the Mdina Cathedral as a small crowd, consisting mainly of tourists, followed them around.
Prince Charles also met a young British family, who turned up with small Union Flags.
“We live close by in Rabat and have come to cheer them on,” Malcolm Crabbe told this newspaper as his three young children enthusiastically waved the flags.
“And we’re better off seeing Prince Charles here than in the UK,” his wife, Alicia, added.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the Marsa race course to watch horse racing. However, a scheduled polo match between the Malta Polo Club and Guards Polo Club had to be cancelled after rain from the previous night rendered the ground unplayable.
The oldest member of the Malta Polo Club, George Lyttleton, 70, explained that the club is the second oldest polo club in the world, founded in 1868.
The sport was first introduced to the island through the joint efforts of the British Army officers stationed in Malta and officers who were either on their way to, or returning home from India. These cavalry regiments, together with officers from the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet, were the first to play on Maltese soil.
Prince Philip himself learnt to play polo on the very same ground in Marsa through Lord Mountbatten, who also served as the club’s president.
“In 1979, Prince Charles was due to come to Malta to play in a polo match,” Mr Lyttleton recalled.
“Unfortunately, the visit was cancelled after Lord Mountbatten was killed in Ireland by the IRA.”