Shoreham man carves cuttlefish for King's coronation

Robb Banks, from Shoreham, has carved a cuttlefish bone to resemble King Charles.

He used a toothpick to intricately chisel away at the bone, which he said took him three tries to perfect.

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Robb said: "I've carved cuttlefish before, and I thought why not do it for the coronation?

"I wanted to celebrate the new King with a bit of inspiration from Spitting Image."

Robb carved it yesterday (Image: Robb Banks)

Robb, an interior designer in London, said he finished work early and the perfect opportunity arose to celebrate the big day.

He said: "I thought I might as well use my spare time, so I sat in my front garden and made this."

Cuttlefish bones wash up on shores around the world, and are a common sight for many on the Sussex coast.

"They are brittle and fragile, and if you get it wrong a big lump will fall off.

"It was quite tricky to get the hang of it, as you've got to find the grain of it." he said.

He also carved a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after she died last year.

His cuttlefish Queen (Image: Robb Banks)

Robb said the reaction to his carvings has been mixed. "People find it quite funny" Robb said. "There are loads of people positive about it, however I did put it in a Facebook group earlier and it was removed very quickly, so I think they might have found it a bit offensive."

However, his post has received over 1.3 thousand likes on the Brighton Skies facebook group. One commenter suggested the artwork should be a part of the crown jewels.

Robb will be celebrating the coronation with some friends this afternoon. Robb added: "The coronation is amazing, and you don't see much of the fanfare these days, with the diamonds and gold carriages."