Deep beneath the state rooms of Buckingham Palace, along semi lit corridors patrolled by staff going about their business, is a locked door to a room that has not been disturbed for decades. It houses a Heidelberg platen, a few racks of lead type, a folder creaser, stapler and a guillotine. This is where Prince Charles, now King Charles III, was trained and learned to print.
The story of the Printer Prince came to light recently when a letter from the young printer to Albert Vurst, the journeyman printer who taught the teenager the fine art of hand composition and letterpress printing, came to light. It was among his possessions discovered when his daughter April began clearing his flat in Battersea after his death. It has been published in a new book, out today.
In the letter, the Prince describes how he had put what Vurst had taught him into practice with a number of projects. Among them were prints of nursery rhymes for his younger brothers and sister. He had also been allowed to print the menu for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for His Excellency, the Khasi of Kalabar. An unfortunate typo almost caused a diplomatic incident, but when the 16-year-old apprentice printer was brought into the room to apologise, everything was forgiven.
In order to qualify as a printer, Prince Charles needed to be indentured as an apprentice and had to join the NGA, print being a closed shop at the time. His membership card stated his name was Charles Windsor, and he was a member of the St George’s Chapel. A photograph of that card is published in the new book.
Prince Charles’ interest in printing continued when he became an undergraduate student at Cambridge University. There are unsubstantiated reports that he graduated to operating a Linotype caster and without ceremony took a few shifts at the University Press to keep his hand in. His bodyguard at the time, Donny Fullmy, recounts in his autobiography, dropping the Prince near the Press of an evening thinking that a more personal assignation had been arranged.
The idea that Prince Charles might have been involved in typesetting the question paper for the exams he took is considered unlikely. The future king gained a 2:2 in History.
However, he did take part in a student exchange with Heidelberg University where the Prince was able to tour the Heidelberg press factory, at the time in the centre of the city, to see how the last letterpress platens were being made. Inhouse composer Gustav Wagner, now retired, still remembers the visit: “The young Prinz was fascinated by what he saw and even printed some sheets with portraits of his cousins.”
The now King Charles III was unable to make a return visit during the first overseas state visit last week.
The stories are part of a long tradition in the British Royal family of engagement with the printing industry. Prince Albert ensured that printing had pride of place at the Great Exhibition of 1851 which is considered the forerunner of Ipex and printing industry exhibitions worldwide. Before him George III was an enthusiastic printer, commissioning John Baskerville to create a typeface, Porphyria, to be used on official occasions. Fumes from the lead type handled by the King may have played a role in his “madness”.
The revelations about the British monarchy’s connection with printing are revealed in a new book, Royal Types, to be published today, 1 April, and written by Israeli author Youv Binhad and available online and by email through Print Business.
