Durban - Sending hand-crafted gifts made from Tambuti wood to the British Royal family has been a tradition in the Singh household since the 1970s - and this time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the recipients.
The tradition was started by the founder of Tambuti Furniture Manufacturers, Eadhev Singh, who hand-crafted a writing desk for Princess Anne's marriage to Mark Phillips in 1973, as an apologetic gesture.
Singh was invited to the wedding, as he was a descendant of a royal family in Agra, India, but he was unable to attend due to his wife Deomathie’s ill health.
Today, his son Kuber Eadhev Singh, who has coined the nickname the Tambuti King, continues the family tradition at their business premises in KwaDukuza.
The 76-year-old has just put the finishing touches on a hand-carved table for Prince Harry and Markle, which he intends on couriering to them after Saturday's wedding.
His wife, Anitha, 65, assisted by polishing the table with a special French polish.
“My father started working in the furniture industry in 1929 in Westville."
"He made furniture from imported wood such as oak but due to World War II the wood could not be imported."
"His business took a dive for a few years but he managed to revive it in 1956,” Singh junior explained.
He said his father travelled to Zululand with a few friends and came across Tambuti trees.
“He decided to fell some trees and made planks for furniture."
"These trees were only found on the banks of the Tugela River, Zululand and in the Eastern Transvaal."
"Realising he stumbled on a gem and an opportunity to revive his furniture business, my father moved to KwaDukuza where he started the furniture business.”
The grandfather of eight said he joined his dad's business in 1961 and took it over in 1980 after his death.
“I shared the same passion for making furniture and passed on the skill to my sons, who help me run the business."
"My dad started the tradition of giving the royals gifts and I have continued the tradition in his name.”
When Princess Diana and Prince Charles tied the knot in 1981, Singh made a jewellery box for Diana and, in 1995, during Queen Elizabeth's visit to Durban, he also presented her with one.
“When the Queen Mother died in 2002 at the age of 101, I made a wooden cross in her memory, which I laid at her shrine near Buckingham Palace."
"When Prince William and Kate Middleton married in 2011, I hand-crafted a table for them.”
Singh said he received letters from the royal family thanking him for the gifts.
The father of four has also crafted items for former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, as well as US presidents Ronald Reagan and George W Bush.
Singh said he looked forward to watching the wedding on TV along with his wife.