Focus On: The Timeless Prince of Wales Check

One pattern which has successfully stood the test of time and remains popular to this day is the Prince Of Wales check. It's a certified classic, used widely in tailoring and also has a rich historical background. Let's delve a little deeper into this iconic, quintessentially British check. 

WHAT IS IT

Also known as Glen Plaid or Glenurquhart check, the Prince of Wales Check is a woven twill design made up of combination of small and large checks within repeated squares. You'll often see it in monochromatic colours however the 21st century has allowed it to explore a whole spectrum of colours.  

THE HISTORY

The Prince of Wales check dates way back to the 19th century, and like most other checks, it originated in Scotland. It was initially called the Glen check and designed to be the signature tweed for the Scotland estate, Seafield, however royalty took a shine to it. The Prince of Wales of the time, Edward VII, adopted it as his go-to style, making some tweaks here and there to suit his personal taste. It ran in the family as his grandson, Edward VIII, was influenced by this particular check and he too made further customisations to allow it to become the timeless style of today.

MARC DARCY DOES PRINCE OF WALES