■ KING

Charles is known to mend rather than spend — not least on his favourite old coats. Now he is seeking a soft furnishings upholsterer to keep the rooms at his palaces up to scratch. The Royal Household advert admits that the post — based at Windsor — will ‘stretch’ the successful applicant. Commanding a less-than-regal annual wage of £25,000 a year, the job description says the new upholsterer will be ‘helping to preserve a collection that will be enjoyed by future generations’.