They are the elegant, British-made handbags which have the royal seal of approval.
But behind the Charlotte Elizabeth range lies the moving tale of the young woman who created it.
Charlotte Jones, 30, today has a highly successful brand, which has turned over £1.1 million in its first few years and whose classic designs have been sported by the Queen four times in the past two weeks.
Charlotte was diagnosed with an arrhythmia aged 16, but surgery left her with Pots (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) – which causes a rapid increase of heart rate when standing, leading to fainting or dizziness – and severe post-traumatic stress.
She was ‘virtually bed-bound’.
Charlotte told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The fact that I am here even talking to you, let alone doing what I love and seeing the Queen sporting my designs, is simply unbelievable.
‘At one point I didn’t even know whether I would live to fight another day, or even want to.’
Charlotte Jones, 30, was diagnosed with an arrhythmia aged 16, but today has a highly successful brand selling elegant British-made handbags sported by the Queen
Camilla sports one of Elizabeth’s designs during a visit to Bradford earlier this week
Queen Camilla was spotted with the same classic design during her 2023 state visit to France
But Charlotte enrolled on a four-day enterprise course with The King’s Trust, then The Prince’s Trust.
‘The charity invited her back to do a pitch and she secured a £3,000 loan.
With that she got 40 handbags made in a Somerset factory using Scottish leather, designed a website from her bed and photographed the products herself.
Her brand went ‘stratospheric’ when the Duchess of Sussex was pictured with a bag in 2018 during an official trip to Ireland
The Queen looked pretty in pink with her accompanying Charlotte Elizabeth bag in Paris, France in 2023
Queen Camilla arrived in Australia in October 2024 with her trusty handbag on her arm
The handbag perfectly complemented the Queen’s cherry red dress at the National Gallery earlier this month
Queen Camilla rounded off her royal blue outfit with a Charlotte Elizabeth bag earlier this month for the 80th VE Day commemorations
After heart surgery, Charlotte was left with Pots (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) – which causes a rapid increase of heart rate when standing, leading to fainting or dizziness – and severe post-traumatic stress
Charlotte pictured with her grandmother, Elizabeth, aged around six before she received her life-changing diagnosis
Charlotte partly named her now internationally-known brand after her grandmother, Elizabeth
Charlotte is thankful to The King’s Trust, then The Prince’s Trust, for helping her secure a £3,000 loan and kickstart her brand
It went ‘stratospheric’ when the Duchess of Sussex was pictured with a bag in 2018 during an official trip to Ireland.
‘I owe so much to [the King] and the King’s Trust,’ she said.
‘To be quite honest I don’t know if I would still be here, let alone doing this, without him.’
