King Charles marks JCB’s 80th birthday with HQ visit

John E. Kaye
- Published
- News, Uncategorized

John E. Kaye
Tuesday 25th February 2025
10:30am GMT
The King was greeted by cheering crowds and waving flags on Monday as he marked construction behemoth JCB’s 80th birthday.
The monarch made a royal entrance as he walked through two diggers positioned by his State Bentley to ‘salute’ him at the firm’s world headquarters in Staffordshire, England.
He was met by Lord and Lady Bamford before taking a tour of the company’s Innovation Centre where he was shown one of the first line of new diggers to be powered by hydrogen.
His Majesty also walked the assembly line of the JCB backhoe, a machine invented by JCB’s founder, the late Cyril Bamford CBE.
Charles, 76, even helped fit a wheel with team leader Becky Bayliss.
JCB – known for manufacturing construction, agricultural and demolition equipment – is the third largest company in its category, worldwide, and employs 7,500 people in the UK.
The firm was awarded a Royal Warrant in January.
Charles’ visit marked the production of the one millionth backhoe loader digger, an invention which replaced men with shovels, pickaxes and hods and mechanised the labour-intensive process of digging holes and earthmoving around the world.
He spent more than an hour touring the vast headquarters where he also met employees, apprentices, and their families.
After unveiling a plaque to mark his visit, he left to a chorus of cheers from thousands of flag-waving JCB employees who lined the route of his departure.
JCB chairman Lord Bamford said: “It is a real honour for us all that that The King has visited JCB to help us celebrate 80 years in business.
“It was also a great pleasure to show The King the progress we are making with hydrogen powered machines.
“Today was an occasion that will live long in the memories of everyone who was present.”
The King later visited Tower Brewery, an independent, family run small brewery in Burton-on-Trent, where he pulled pints and learned more about the process of producing real ales.

Sign up to The European Newsletter
RECENT ARTICLES
-
CEOs who endured childhood disasters show greater appetite for risky debt, study finds
-
Galorath appoints Julia Gerth to lead EMEA and APAC sales in global expansion push
-
UK to restart trade talks with China after seven-year pause
-
AM Best affirms Active Re’s ‘A’ rating for third year running
-
UK contract recruitment rises despite slowdown in permanent hiring
-
Forterro buys Spain’s Inology to expand southern Europe footprint
-
Singapore student start-up wins $1m Hult Prize for education platform
-
Nigeria’s startup scene takes global stage as Lagos hosts inaugural GITEX NIGERIA
-
City and Gulf investors track golf’s newest global venture
-
UK businesses increase AI investment despite economic uncertainty, Barclays index finds
-
French CEOs warn politics and geopolitics now threaten bottom lines, ESSEC study finds
-
Study links female-dominated classrooms to higher lifetime earnings for women
-
Inside London’s £1bn super-hotel with £20k penthouses, private butlers and a gilded eagle
-
Kia America hits record monthly sales as EV demand surges
-
Trump family’s crypto debut adds $5bn to fortune amid ethics row
-
Warren Buffett turns 95 – the secrets behind a $130 billion fortune
-
Most game developers now using AI in their workflows, Google Cloud study finds
-
BlackRock takes $89m stake in Freedom Holding, emerging as second-largest shareholder
-
Welcome to Britain’s most exclusive founders’ network with £1M entry bar
-
Portugal’s GR22 crowned Europe’s most rewarding hiking trail
-
Music faces a bum note without elephant dung, new research warns
-
Fermi America secures $350m in financing led by Macquarie Group
-
Cambodia to rename key highway after Donald Trump for brokering peace deal
-
Want your business to succeed? Start with your own wellbeing, say SME leaders
-
The five superyacht shows that matter most