Lily Marsh: The Yorkshire sculptor who created the first official bust of King Charles III

The bust, created by Ms Marsh at her studio in Sheffield, is the first officially commissioned of the monarch since he came to the throne in 2022.

It sits outside Dumfries House, the headquarters of the King’s Foundation, the charity created by the-then Prince Charles to fund heritage arts and craft training – and the organisation where Ms Marsh was able to pursue her love of sculpture.

Ms Marsh explained: “When I was at school, I was totally into painting, sculpture and all sorts of stuff. I think though that the messaging I got was ‘be sensible and do something academic’.

“I chose a different career – but one day I was watching television, and feeling terrible because I knew my job wasn’t for me.

“I saw a stone carver, and it was just seeing someone doing something physical but also sculptural and creative. I thought ‘Oh my god, I could do that’.

“Being physical and using my body to do work was absolutely what I’d always wanted.”

Ms Marsh trained under the-then Prince’s Foundation in stone masonry, juggling study with work part time.

“It was brilliant. I was so miserable and it changed my life at the time, just fabulous.”

Some 12 years later, Ms Marsh now combines stone masonry with sculpture from her workshop in Sheffield, having decided to permanently relocate to her home city during the pandemic.

And last July, the King’s Foundation got in touch to invite Ms Marsh to put forward a proposal for the bust of Charles to sit outside its headquarters to mark the charity’s 35th anniversary – and she was delighted when it was accepted.

“It was really daunting,” she remembered. “I was on the way back from my daughter’s parents’ evening when I took the call that I’d be sculpting the King.

“I worked from photographs which were provided for me, I had to take a deep breath and let myself enjoy the process while saying ‘I can do this.’

“The challenge is there’s always ways that people see faces and find them recognisable, which is personal to each individual.

“I sculpted in clay and then it was taken to foundry in Ormskirk where it was cast in bronze.”

The King unveiled the bust at a ceremony at the House in Ayrshire in January.

Charles has held a lifelong passion for arts, heritage crafts and restoration – even appearing on an episode of BBC’s The Repair Shop.

Ms Marsh said: “He is just absolutely focussed on the process and the craftsmanship behind it.

“His interest lies in the craft, the history, the tradition, and he's fascinated by that.

“I hope he likes it. I feel proud of myself for saying yes to it. Sculpting is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I think I’ve done my younger self proud.”