King Charles' royal residences around the UK will be going through a painstaking change this weekend as the clocks go back one hour.
His Majesty's homes, such as Balmoral, Windsor Castle, Clarence House, Buckingham Palace and Dumfries House, are filled with clocks, which the monarch has said "matter" a lot to him. And it will be no easy feat adjusting them all on Sunday morning.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was said to have owned over 1,000 timepieces throughout her regal homes, which her son Charles will have inherited. The switchover is a mammoth undertaking that takes around 40 hours to do. But luckily, the King has a team of staff to help, including a royal horological conservator.
© GettyThe types of clocks he owns are varied, including musical clocks, astronomical clocks, miniature clocks and turret clocks – and it's likely they are dotted around each property, meaning a thorough search for the items will be required.
The King previously opened up about why he loves clocks so much during a special episode of The Repair Shop that aired in October 2022 as part of the BBC's centenary celebrations. Charles invited Jay Blades and the team into his Scottish home, Dumfries House, where he showed them two pieces that he wanted repaired, one of which was an 18th-century bracket clock.
Steve Fletcher, the show's horologist, was tasked with fixing the clock and asked the King why they mattered to him so much after seeing so many around the royal residence.
"To me, I just love the sound of a tick tock," said Charles. "But also, if they chime. That's why I love grandfather clocks.
"I find it rather reassuring in a funny way, and they become really special parts of the house… as you were, the beating heart of it. So that's why they matter to me."
He added: "I'm afraid it is something I learnt from my grandmother. She had great fun putting a few together and trying to get them to chime at the same time in the dining room, which made it very enjoyable because everybody had to stop talking. All the clocks and cuckoos would go off, then you'd hear a voice saying, 'What time is it?'"
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