The jacket may have been royal blue, but a Maidstone shop owner couldn’t believe her eyes when an order for it came in from Buckingham Palace.

Kerry-Ann Maxwell thought it was a joke when the royal residence popped up as a delivery address as she was sorting through the online purchases for her shop, Give Vintage Ltd in Upper Fant Road.

But while it wasn’t Her Majesty who had snapped up the £45 vintage naval jacket with gold braiding, it was someone surprisingly close to her – a royal footman who lives at the famous London address.

Miss Maxwell, 42, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes. I told my colleague and we just looked at one another and then started laughing.

“We thought it might be a joke but then we found a picture of him standing on the royal carriage.”

The community interest company, which offers voluntary work and training for vulnerable and unemployed people, has been creating quite a stir, with orders coming in from around the globe.

Since it opened two years ago, the store has sold a Moschino catsuit to a London photography studio, a pink fluffy Eighties jumper to a Russian soldier, and a Burberry coat to Hong Kong.

And it has been visited by a famous face, with Red or Dead co-founder and fashion icon Wayne Hemingway popping in to buy a pair of shoes and jacket.

Miss Maxwell, who also works as a mental health nurse, said: “We’ve been asked to send stuff to some amazing places.

“Our customers are from all walks of life from students and teachers to social workers and politicians. We have also had our fair share of high profile visitors.”

The shop moved to its current location from Lower Stone Street in December last year.

It is applying for funding to help run upcycling and sewing workshops and to help it continue to support vulnerable people.