One expert was left unhappy with after he made a huge mistake with a £30million furniture collection.
furniture expert John Bly issued a stern warning to Charles when he was still Prince of Wales in October 2010, and claimed unique items at Dumfries House in Ayrshire had already sustained damage.
He accused managers of the house of failing to look after the collection properly, causing cracking and shrinking of the pieces. He also worried that conservers could be brought in who could “ruin” the “untouched” masterpieces.
Bly first visited the house as part of Antiques Roadshow in September 2009, and was so concerned by what he saw there that he decided to write a letter to Charles’ advisers – but he wasn’t satisfied with their response.
He warned in the missive: “Damage manifests itself in cracking and distortion of veneer due to timber shrinkage. This has been caused by a lack of circulation of air.
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Antiques Roadshow expert John Bly issued an urgent warning to King Charles (Image: BBC)
“We are in summer and the house is currently over-warm and yet, apparently, the windows are now permanently closed. The furniture needs to breathe, as it has been allowed to do throughout the preceding centuries.”
Bly added: “Of even greater concern is to learn that restorers are being called in to remedy recent damage and restore other items. I hope all of this will be undertaken with the greatest possible restraint, for in these circumstances careful and sympathetic conservation is needed, rather than enthusiastic renovation.”
However, at the time, advisers rejected the criticism from the expert and branded his claims “completely unfounded”.
King Charles was issued a warning about Dumfries House (Image: Getty)
Dumfries House owner Sir Hugh Roberts explained that preventative measures had been put in place, including UV filters and an electronic environmental monitoring system.
Sir Hugh responded: “There are indeed numerous areas where the furniture has suffered – but over many, many years, from neglect, from excessive humidity and from excessive daylight. The neglect is being carefully put right, the humidity and temperature issues are being monitored and gradually corrected and the damaging effects of daylight tackled.”