EXCLUSIVE: King Charles Branded 'Totally Out of Step' Over 'Patronizing Business Offer' to the Public
King Charles has been branded 'out of step' over patronizing business offer.
May 11 2026, Published 5:26 p.m. ET
King Charles has been branded "totally out of step" with ordinary Britons after unveiling a luxury watchmaking program which critics have described as a "patronizing business offer" during the country's continuing cost of living crisis.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Charles, 77, announced through The King's Foundation the charity had entered a three-year partnership with Cartier to train future luxury watchmakers in the specialist craft behind high-end timepieces.
King Charles III Faces Backlash Over Luxury Cartier Training Scheme
King Charles announced a new luxury watchmaking program through his charity.
The program, formally titled The King's Foundation and Cartier Decorative Métiers d'Art in Watchmaking, will offer successful applicants five months of technical training followed by two months of project work.
Students will live at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland – the King's foundation headquarters – before completing additional work at Cartier's Maison des Métiers d'Art in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
Applications opened on April 27 through The King's Foundation website.
The announcement has now prompted criticism from royal watchers and anti-monarchy campaigners, who argued the scheme risked appearing disconnected from the financial pressures facing many households across Britain.
Backlash Over Tone Deaf Initiatives
The King’s Foundation entered a three-year partnership with Cartier.
One royal source told us the initiative was "well-intentioned but deeply tone deaf."
The insider added: 'People are struggling to pay rent, mortgages and heating bills, and the King is promoting luxury watch making. It makes the monarchy look totally out of step with broke Britain."
Another critic described the project as "a patronizing business offer dressed up as heritage preservation."
The source added: "There is an argument for protecting traditional crafts, but when it is tied to one of the world's most expensive luxury brands, it inevitably looks elitist. Most young people are worried about surviving, not handcrafting watches in Switzerland."
The King's Foundation Defends Heritage Skills Partnership
Charles saved the historic Dumfries House estate from a potential sale in 2007.
A royal advisor also said: "Charles has long championed endangered artisanal skills through his foundation, particularly in areas such as woodworking, textiles, and architecture.
"Critics, however, now argue aligning such efforts with ultra-luxury products risks reinforcing perceptions of royal privilege at a difficult economic moment."
The partnership was announced jointly by Cartier and The King's Foundation, the educational charity Charles founded in 1990.
The organization focuses on sustainability, heritage skills, and community regeneration projects.
It is based at Dumfries House, a 300-year-old estate Charles helped save in 2007 after fears it could be sold off.
Since then, the property has been transformed into a tourism and education hub, with expansion plans unveiled earlier this year ahead of a new wing opening in 2027.
Cartier Royal Links Stretch Back More Than A Century
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The Princess of Wales wore the Cartier Halo Tiara at her 2011 wedding.
In a statement released alongside the partnership, Cartier chief executive Louis Ferla highlighted how the initiative was designed to preserve specialist craftsmanship.
He said: "This commitment reaffirms the maison's long-standing dedication to the shared human adventure of preserving, developing and, of course, celebrating these rare and traditional crafts."
The luxury jeweler has longstanding links to the British royal family dating back more than a century. King Edward VII famously described Cartier as "the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers," and generations of royals have worn the brand's jewelry at major state and family occasions.
Among the most famous pieces is the Cartier Halo Tiara worn by Kate Middleton at her 2011 wedding to Prince William.
The tiara was originally created by Cartier in 1936 and presented by the future King George VI to his wife, Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother.
The piece was later gifted to the future Queen Elizabeth II when she turned 18 in 1944.
