LONDON — “The firm” always stays the course, no matter the circumstances.
Even as the news broke that his younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had been arrested, King Charles III continued to fulfill his royal duties, lending his global influence to British fashion with a surprise appearance at LVMH Prize finalist Tolu Coker’s show at the start of London Fashion Week on Thursday.
During his visit to 180 Studios on The Strand, the king also toured exhibitions by his old friend Stella McCartney, Brand63Africa, and the King’s Foundation, as well as meeting London’s emerging designers at 180 Studios, a creative hub on The Strand.
The king’s fashion moment came hours after the arrest of Mountbatten-Windsor at the royal family’s Sandringham estate earlier in the day.
Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct during the time he was a U.K. trade envoy, allegedly sharing confidential information with third parties, including the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement released following the arrest, King Charles said: “I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.”
Brand63Africa is a nascent social enterprise connecting designers of African heritage with global fashion markets. It advocates for small-batch production and traditional craftsmanship. The platform aims to support established designers who are committed to sustainability and community empowerment and whose values are inspired by the king’s support of sustainability and a circular fashion economy.
McCartney’s exhibition showcases her use of sustainable materials such as plant-based feather alternatives and plastic-free sequins. McCartney and the king go back a long way and have collaborated on environmental initiatives in the past.
On Thursday, upon the King’s visit, she was officially appointed an ambassador of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which was set up to encourage world leaders and chief executive officers of private companies to put sustainability at the heart of global value creation.
“The Sustainable Markets Initiative is an organization I have proudly supported since its inception in 2020, and I am so grateful to His Majesty for this recognition. For me, the most important thing about the SMI is that its focus goes beyond discussion to driving action,” said McCartney.
Jennifer Jordan-Saifi, CEO of Sustainable Markets Initiative, described McCartney as a pioneer in sustainable fashion and her expertise and commitment will help drive meaningful progress across the sector.
Tolu Coker takes a bow at her spring 2025 ready-to-wear collection at London Fashion Week.
Courtesy of Tolu Coker
After touring the exhibit, the king sat in the front row alongside Laura Weir, CEO of the British Fashion Council, at Coker’s fall 2026 collection.
A former beneficiary of the King’s Trust, previously the Prince’s Trust, Coker’s work explores the Black diaspora through colorful patterns, silhouettes that pay homage to traditional religions, and sustainable fabrics. Coker uses her British, Nigerian and Yoruba heritage as a key reference point in her work.
“Clothes are not simply garments. They are archives of memory, carriers of culture, and markers of identity. To wear is to honor the past, embrace the present, and shape the future,” the Central Saint Martins graduate said in an interview with WWD.
Coker is also a multidisciplinary artist, producing illustrations, documentaries and fashion films for brands including Adidas, Swatch, Illy Caffè and Dr. Martens. She’s passionate about using fashion and design as a platform for social change through projects that support refugees, immigrants and minority communities.
Her fall 2026 lineup explored the emotional aftershock of moving between worlds. Coker played with contrast in silhouettes, using corsetry, paneling and cinched tailoring, and blended British tartans and vintage prints that nodded to her Yoruba roots.
She said the goal of the collection was to challenge the idea that what is framed as negative can often be a positive.
The collection was also big on sustainability, a subject that has long been close to King Charles’ heart and mind. Coker used deadstock fabrics, upcycled denim and upcycled leathers, as well as British wool and reclaimed satins for the collection.
She describes the brand as reformative luxury, meaning “craft with consequence, designed to last and designed to mean something.”
“He [King Charles] said that he was really excited to see it and I was excited for him to see it. I think the big thing is just allowing people to experience it for themselves. I don’t want it to feel like contrived or curated,” Coker told WWD backstage.
Unlike the late Queen Elizabeth, who had not been to a fashion show until 2018, King Charles has long been involved with the British fashion industry.
Stella McCartney
Courtesy
His appearance on Thursday marked the second time he has attended London Fashion Week in recent years, having presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to Foday Dumbuya, founder and creative director of the fashion label Labrum London, in 2023. That ceremony showcased all the talent support initiatives of the BFC Foundation.
He launched London’s inaugural menswear fashion week in June 2012 at St. James’s Palace, and founded the global Campaign for Wool in 2010, raising awareness among consumers about the renewable and biodegradable benefits of fiber.
He is Britain’s first “green” king, having spent decades lobbying for the environment, sustainability, mental health and well-being.
As reported, the SMI Fashion Task Force is chaired by Yoox founder Federico Marchetti. He has brought in a host of designers and brands including Brunello Cucinelli, Armani Group, Burberry, Selfridges and Prada have all taken part in environmental initiatives.
”He is the pioneer. He has been a patron of fashion since the 1970s,” said Marchetti, who accompanied the king during his visit alongside British fashion industry heavyweights, including Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman, McQueen CEO Gianfilippo Testa and creative director Seán McGirr, Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi, Stella McCartney, Martine Rose, Harris Reed, Priya Ahluwalia, Emilia Wickstead and Clare Waight Keller, recently named a broad member of the BFC.
“I’m so proud to work for him, I am his Italian secret weapon. That’s my nickname, and to help him with Italian brands, and also British friends,” Marchetti added.
In 2021, during the virtual One Planet Summit, the king also launched Terra Carta, a call-to-action charter for businesses that “puts nature, people and planet at the heart of global value creation,” according to its website.
It aims to provides “a roadmap to 2030 for businesses to move towards an ambitious and sustainable future, one that will harness the power of Nature combined with the transformative power, innovation and resources of the private sector.”