In our experience
Behind the pomp and ceremony, three women explain why they owe a personal debt of gratitude to His Majesty
‘IT SOWED A SEED OF HOPE – MY DREAMS COULD COME TRUE’
Freya Rose Archer, 42, is an awardwinning shoe and jewellery designer. She lives near Portsmouth with husband Matthew and children Johnnie, 12, and Willow, four. She is an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative.
I don’t think anyone could ever have predicted that I would grow up to run a successful company, be happily married with two beautiful kids, and work as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. The odds were stacked against me.
I had a pretty turbulent childhood. My parents split up when I was little and my mum was on her own with three kids, struggling to stay afloat. I left home at 15 and moved around, working odd jobs to get by.
I was creative, and by my early 20s, I’d landed a place at the London College of Fashion, where my idea of incorporating jewellery into shoes was born. I started my company, Freya Rose, in 2010 – but it was difficult. I had to take three jobs just to make ends meet. Then my son was born, and I was a single mum working round the clock.
That’s when the Prince’s Trust came to the rescue. They helped me formulate a plan, allocated a mentor and gave me a £3,000 loan. The practical support was invaluable and the confidence boost even more so. It sowed a seed of hope that I could make my dreams come true and, since then, my business has grown into a flourishing brand.
Freya Rose now creates luxury, hand-crafted shoes and jewellery that has been worn by style icons such as Rihanna and Kate Moss. In 2020, I launched our jewellery collection. Our latest piece, the Kindred necklace, was created to support The Prince’s Trust #ChangeAGirlsLife campaign, with 5% of profits going to The Prince’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative.
I’ve met the King and Queen Consort a few times at The Prince’s Trust events. What’s struck me is how engaged he is – it’s clear to me that he is genuinely passionate about promoting sustainability and supporting communities, just like me. To me, King Charles III is a kind of fairy godfather, and being invited to become an ambassador last year was an incredible honour. I now have the opportunity to support young people through my work, just as the Trust once helped me.
His Majesty was in his 20s when he started the Trust, and I’m profoundly grateful he had that brainwave all those years ago – the charity changed my life. ✢ freyarose.com
‘I’M NOW PASSIONATE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY’
Denise Richardson-Rowell, 52, is farm education manage
