The coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London. It will be a momentous occasion for the the United Kingdom and the world.
Back in May 2022 we put together an article about the late Queen’s passion for fishing (click here to read), which was in honour of her 70-year reign on the throne. It is only right that we now, in honour of HRH King Charles III, we also take a closer look at his love for the sport.
A family hobby
King Charles has always been an avid fisherman and it has been part of his life from an early age. He was taught to fish by his Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and his father. He has continued to pass on this hobbie to the younger members of the Royal Family. King Charles taught both William and Harry to fly fish from a young age, and their nanny and confidante Tiggy Legge Bourke is one of the most experienced fly fishers in the UK. Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex’s son James, Viscount Severn, 14, is said to be a “young but talented fly fisherman.”
Over the years, King Charles has fished in many different locations around the world but is most fond of his times spent on the Royal Balmoral Estate in Scotland on the River Dee.
As well as being one of his hobbies, he has also made this into a professional responsibility; when formerly the Prince of Wales, he was and remains the Royal Warrant grantee for manufacturers of fishing tackle. Awarding the warrants to only the finest of companies, Hardy & Greys Ltd and Farlows currently holding this prestigious title. More information regarding Royal Warrants can be found on a previous article written by us last year, you can read this here. He is also the Patron of The Fly Fishers Club of London, a gentleman’s club formed in 1884 for fly fishing enthusiasts. Our owner Richard Hewitt (former Chairman of Farlows) is currently a member of this prestigious club.
The Crown
Many of you may remember that Thomas Turner back in 2019/20 were approached by the production staff at The Crown and asked if we could provide some tackle for them to use in filming various scenes set in 1979 (for Season four). They were looking for the very best quality fly fishing tackle of the type that Royalty may have used at the time.
TT owner, Richard Hewitt, has previously held the Royal Warrant as Chairman of Farlows, and so is well-acquainted with the type of tackle favoured by King Charles. We provided a selection of Hardy rods including The Wye for Prince Charles himself, paired with a Farlows Dee reel. His fishing companions used a Hardy the Shearwater Neocane salmon rod, a Hardy LRH salmon 15ft cane rod, and a range of Fibalite and glass salmon rods. These were paired with various Hardy Perfects, a Hardy Hydra, and a special Hardy brass-faced Perfect reel.
Now we ask the question – What tackle is King Charles III likely to use now?
Well, we think that although a Hardy Perfect would still be an excellent choice, that with technological advances, he would now fish with a Hardy Gold MLA – it certainly has the look to be fit for a King, and with its top quality engineering and design (won the Best New Product at the Efftex Trade Exhibition in 2001) it would certainly be easy to catch plenty of fish, whether in fresh or saltwater.
We would then pair that with a Hardy Elite salmon fly rod – the ultimate luxury fly rod, again, with it’s polished ferrule stoppers and deep translucent royal blue blank, it looks the part for the new King, but also gives a fast progressive action, that combines power with accuracy, allowing exceptional control, making fishing on the River Dee a dream.
If you want to use tackle fit for a King, then click the links in the text to look at our current stock!
From all of us at Thomas Turner, we want to congratulate King Charles III on his ascension to the throne and wish him and Queen Camilla all the best for the future.
