A suit in 24 hours? Hong Kong tailor ‘Sam’ Melwani gets a medal after decades of dressing royalty, celebrities and tourists
- Remembering Diana, owner of Sam’s Tailor tells Prince William: ‘Your mother was a very lovely lady’
- For more than six decades, a small shop in Tsim Sha Tsui has drawn customers from around the world
Manu Melwani has dressed British royalty, American presidents, international celebrities and countless tourists who have been making their way to his shop in Hong Kong for decades.
On Wednesday, the second-generation owner of Sam’s Tailor was at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom to receive his award as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Prince William, the Prince of Wales.
“I am thrilled,” said the 74-year-old, who made Britain’s New Year’s Honours List in January for his contributions to business and charity.
Melwani was especially pleased to receive his medal from Prince William, because he had met the prince’s mother, the late Princess Diana.
He saw Diana in Hong Kong in 1989 and 1995, and recalled that she had a great sense of humour and “laughed at everything”.
He shared that memory with Prince William on Wednesday.
“I told him: ‘Your mother was a very lovely lady.’ He was very happy with that,” he said.