But a good monarch is nothing if not magnanimous, which may explain why King Charles has decided to renew the royal warrant for Parker, one of the world’s most famous fountain pen manufacturers.

He established the Parker Pen Company to manufacturer a superior writing ... The factory closed in 2009. The Slimfold fountain pens (left) were sold in 4 colours {black, blue, red and green).

When fountain pens first came along, they were revolutionary, albeit expensive and leaky. In 1900, the world literacy rate stood around 20%, and exorbitantly-priced, unreliable utensils weren’t ...