Royal surprise for Canterbury loom business

A video of Princess Kate weaving on a Canterbury-made loom at a studio in Scotland has taken off on social media.

The video featuring an Ashford eight-shaft table loom has been viewed 2.2 million in a matter of days. And it’s been a pleasant surprise for the manufacturer, half a world away, in little old Ashburton.

The loom was made at Ashford Handicrafts Ltd, which operates out of a 3400 sq m factory on State Highway 1.

The historic Mill House, adjacent to the factory, was built in 1912 and is home to the company's showroom, classroom, craft shop and café.

Ashford Handicraft sales and marketing manager Kate Sherratt was royally delighted at the clip being posted on the official Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram page, which has an impressive 17.2 million followers.

‘‘It’s a lot of good exposure for us,’’ Sherratt said.

‘‘We’ve had dealers and customers from all around the world emailing us saying ‘Have you seen this? have you seen this?’

‘‘So, it’s been a bit wild really,’’ she said.

In the six-minute clip, also posted to The Royal Family Channel on YouTube, which has 3.66 million subscribers, Prince William and Princess Kate get a behind-the-scenes look at Radical Weavers handweaving studio and charity.

The studio uses traditional Scottish tartan weaving to bring people together and offer support and hope to people affected by trauma and loss.

In the post, Prince William can be heard asking ‘‘who makes these loom machines?’’

‘‘A company called Ashford over in New Zealand,’’ was the reply.

Sherratt said spinning and weaving has become more popular over the past 10 years.

‘‘The increase in people spinning and weaving around the world has been 10-fold,’’ she said.

‘‘Weaving is deeply mindful. In today’s fast-paced world, it offers a way to slow down, engage in a creative and mindful process, and produce something meaningful at the same time.’’

Sherratt said the eight-shaft loom used by the princess was a ‘‘hugely popular’’ model.

‘‘We export them to 35 countries around the world and the UK is one of our main markets.’’

‘‘Radical Weavers, where they were at in Stirling, is an Ashford dealer in the UK,’’ Sherratt said.

‘‘(They) have an amazing setup of all the Ashford looms, so that was extremely good exposure for us as well.

‘‘It will definitely make a lot of people look at weaving, that was part of her whole deal of going there,’’ she said.