Prince Charles tries his hand at using a sewing machine on visit to his favourite clothing maker's factory HRH Prince Charles visit Gloucester factory where his own shirts are made Royal toured factory of Turnbull & Asser and got a lesson in sewing The company has been making The Prince of Wales's shirts for 40 years Prince Charles tried his hand at tailoring today as he visited the factory of his favourite shirt maker. The Prince of Wales sat down behind a sewing machine at Turnbull & Asser, the company which has been making HRH's own shirts for 40 years. During the royal visit to the Gloucester factory, Prince Charles followed his shirts from fabric to finish during which he made an attempt himself - and was given a 'seven out of ten' by staff. Seam of approval: Prince Charles tries his hand at sewing as he visits the factory of Turnbull & Asser, where his own shirts are made The company has been making the items of clothing for the heir to the throne since January 1973 and were one of the first firms to be granted a royal warrant by Charles in 1980. Turnbull & Asser made Winston Churchill's siren suit, which he dubbed his 'romper suit', and have made shirts for every lead actor of the James Bond films, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig. Charles accepted the offer of operating a sewing machine as he was shown around the factory by twin sisters Kath Cope and Bette Elton, who began working for the company in the 1960s. With rows of female workers sat behind him he carefully placed the cloth under the needle. Charles concentrated on the job at hand and fed the material through as the machine whirred away and then laughed as he completed his task. Royal success: A worker at the factory overlooks Prince Charles progress as he practices his skills as a tailor Fit for a prince: Prince Charles was given a shirt to commemorate his visit to the Gloucester factory today Royal rags: The Prince of Wales follows the process from thread and buttons to finished shirt at the Shirt Manufacturing Division of Turnbull & Asser He seam-s royally pleased: The Prince of Wales gets a lesson in pattern cutting as he commemorates the tenth anniversary of the factory Ms Cope later praised his efforts, she said: 'I think he did pretty well really, especially for a first attempt. I'd give him a seven out of 10.' When asked if he would offer the Prince a job operations manager Shaun Bird, joked: 'I'd give him a six-week trial like anyone else.' During the visit to the factory in Quedgeley, Gloucester, Charles saw one of his shirts go from design to near-finished article. Charles watched as a paper pattern was used as a template to cut the fabric - sea island cotton. Later the cuffs and collars were attached and the buttons sewn on and before leaving he was presented with another shirt workers had completed earlier. Loyal royal: The Prince of Wales shares a joke with the female employees at the factory which proudly boasts 40 years of making his shirts Regal gift: The Prince of Wales receives a shirt from Steven Miller, Managing Director, during a tour of the Shirt Manufacturing Division of Turnbull & Asser to commemorate his visit to the factory Making cuts: Prince Charles oversees a machine in the process of cutting fabric for his own shirt at the Gloucester factory Steven Miller, Turnbull & Asser's managing director, said: 'This is a very proud day for all of us at the company. It was an honour that the Prince visited, it supports the tradition of shirt making in Gloucestershire and the British manufacturing industry as a whole. Our staff are just brilliant and this visit celebrates them, some of them have been with us for 36 years. We're all proud to work for this great company.' Earlier in the day the Prince re-opened a community store in nearby Uley which had been saved from closure by residents. During his visit Charles was greeted by about 300 members of the village and was presented with a cake and two mugs, one for him and one for his wife.