Meet the British Tailor Making the Uniforms for All 6,000 Military Personnel at the King’s Coronation

Rachel Cormack
·2 min read

Kashket & Partners is the thread that connects Britain’s royal affairs. The Tottenham-based tailor’s shop has created military uniforms for all manner of historic ceremonies and will do so again for King Charles III’s upcoming coronation.

More than 6,000 British military personnel will take part in the event on May 6 in what will be the largest ceremonial deployment of U.K. armed forces in seven decades. Kashket is responsible for creating every single uniform for the King’s big day and will prepare some 8,000 separate pieces of clothing, as reported by The Evening Standard. The new “CR III” cipher, which signifies the reign of King Charles, will also need to be carefully sewn onto the garments.

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Although it is a mammoth undertaking, the family-run outfit has had plenty of practice. The team of more than 40 tailors has made ceremonial wear for blue bloods the world over, including eight kings, as well as the British royal family. It created the regal wedding outfits for both Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as 2,000 uniforms that appeared at the respective ceremonies. It is responsible for the famous red tunics of the Buckingham Palace King’s Guards and the iconic coats of the Yeomen Warders, a.k.a. the Beefeaters, at the Tower of London. The shop also holds a contract to provide uniforms for the armed forces throughout the year.

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Timmy Ha, originally from Vietnam and who has worked at the company for 20 years, drafts the measurements from the pattern blocks for a new piece of military dress ahead of the Kings Coronation at Kashket & Partners on April 11, 2023 in London, England. Kashket & Partners are a leading specialist for the design, development, and manufacture of uniforms for ceremonial, parade and formal wear in the UK and overseas. Their work can be seen in the scarlet tunics of the guards outside Buckingham Palace to the dress and undress uniform of the Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London. Since the beginning of the new year, work has been underway to create and roll out the new insignia, CR III, that will eventually adorn the uniforms of members of the Armed Forces, Beefeaters at the Tower of London, Police forces across the UK, British government buildings, state documents and mailboxes. Kashket has enjoyed a close relationship with royalty for many years, from the days when Alfred Kashket, the company’s founder, made felt hats for Tsar Nicholas II. The company also made the wedding uniforms of both Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The company has made ceremonial wear for royalty all over the world, including eight kings, as well as the British Royal Family from whom Firmin & Sons, a sister company based in Birmingham, have the honour of a Royal Warrant, first given in 1837. Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court. The process of changing everything from E II R, Queen Elizabeth ‘regina,’ which means queen in latin to CR III, King Charles ‘Rex,’ the latin word for king, has been years in the planning, and will take many more years to complete with around 8000 pieces of dress already changed ahead of the King's Coronation on May 6. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Timmy Ha drafts the measurements from the pattern blocks for a new piece of military dress.

“Almost every piece of military uniform you see is made by us,” fourth-generation family member Nathan Kashket told The Evening Standard. “But this is a new level.”

The 25-year-old, who now runs the firm, says plans for the new monarch’s coronation have actually been in motion for almost nine years. “When whispers started last year that the Coronation would be in May time, we knew we were in for a very busy Christmas,” he told the newspaper. “It has been frantic.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: A Lyre badge with the new Tudor Crown also known as the Imperial Crown is placed onto a scarlet tunic ahead of the Kings Coronation at Kashket & Partners on April 11, 2023 in London, England. Kashket & Partners are a leading specialist for the design, development, and manufacture of uniforms for ceremonial, parade and formal wear in the UK and overseas. Their work can be seen in the scarlet tunics of the guards outside Buckingham Palace to the dress and undress uniform of the Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London. Since the beginning of the new year, work has been underway to create and roll out the new insignia, CR III, that will eventually adorn the uniforms of members of the Armed Forces, Beefeaters at the Tower of London, Police forces across the UK, British government buildings, state documents and mailboxes. Kashket has enjoyed a close relationship with royalty for many years, from the days when Alfred Kashket, the company’s founder, made felt hats for Tsar Nicholas II. The company also made the wedding uniforms of both Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The company has made ceremonial wear for royalty all over the world, including eight kings, as well as the British Royal Family from whom Firmin & Sons, a sister company based in Birmingham, have the honour of a Royal Warrant, first given in 1837. Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court. The process of changing everything from E II R, Queen Elizabeth ‘regina,’ which means queen in latin to CR III, King Charles ‘Rex,’ the latin word for king, has been years in the planning, and will take many more years to complete with around 8000 pieces of dress already changed ahead of the King's Coronation on May 6. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A lyre badge with the new Tudor crown is placed onto a scarlet tunic.

Kashket says in normal circumstances, it takes six to eight weeks to create a uniform, but the team can churn them out in just two days for such momentous events. He added that the project was the biggest honor of his career: “It is a huge responsibility but I could not be more proud.”

LONDON, ENGLAND-SEPTEMBER 15, 2022: General views of the factory floor can be seen at the Kashket & Partners factory in Tottenham, North East London.Kashket and Partners history dates back long before the founding of the company to the family occupation as milliners in Russia the name Kashket itself derives from a hat that became closely identified with the Russian Jewish community. Alfred Kashket made felt hats for Tsar Nicholas II, showing the close association with royalty from the beginning. (Photos by James Forde for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Inside the Kashket & Partners factory in Tottenham.

If you’d like to learn more about the Kashkets, the family will be the focus of the Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King documentary debuting on the BBC on May 3.

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