KZN craftsman’s gift to Princess Charlotte

IN his trademark bright red turban, KwaDukuza furniture manufacturer Kuber Eadhev Singh seems an unlikely fan of British royalty.

It turns out however that the craftsman, who specialises in working tamboti wood, is a keen admirer of the monarchs — and even received an invitation to the wedding of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana in 1981. He could not attend, but sent the couple a tamboti jewellery box with a note of regret.

The Windsors have received a number of personalised pieces from the Singh family over the years.

In keeping with tradition, the UK’s latest royal, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, will also receive a handcrafted jewellery box — as did her grandmother and great-grandmother before her.

The 74-year-old is carving a box for the new-born daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate.

In 1995 he presented a similar box to Queen Elizabeth when she visited Durban. He received a letter from the queen’s office thanking him for his “kind gesture”.

“Following the birth of the princess last week I thought what could I make that the princess will always use. And I decided on a jewellery box because it is something a little girl will always need. It will not be as big as the one I made for the queen, but just as special,” said Singh, who will complete the task in about three months.

When Prince William and Kate married in 2011, Singh presented them with a handcrafted table. With the birth of their son, Prince George, Singh had a chair made.

The Singh family tradition of making handcrafted furniture CROWN JEWELS: Kuber Eadhev Singh for the British royal family dates to 1973 when a writing desk was made as a wedding gift for Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.

“My father [Eadhev] was invited to the wedding but couldn’t go, so he made a gift instead.”

Singh believes his father may have been invited to the wedding because of his ancestral links to the royal Singh family of Agra in India.

After the Queen Mother’s death in 2001, Singh made a wooden cross in her memory, which he delivered to Buckingham Palace himself.

Other recipients of Singh’s handcrafted works were former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, and former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

Meanwhile, South Africans have joined fans of the British royal family from around the world who are snapping up memorabilia marking the birth of the princess.

Chinaware and other souvenirs have been flying off the shelves in Britain, and companies have been inundated with online shopping orders.

Ceramics firm Royal Crown Derby said traffic at its online shop had jumped tenfold within hours of the announcement of the royal birth last week.

I decided on a jewellery box because it is something a little girl will always need