By Royal Appointment
The history of the Royal Warrant can be traced back to medieval times when competition for royal favour was intense and the monarch had the pick of the country’s most proficient tradespeople. The earliest surviving record of this royal approval dates from 1155 when Henry II granted the Weavers’ Company a Royal Charter. In 1394, the Mercers’ Company – helped by Dick Whittington – received a Royal Charter for their luxury fabrics.
By the 15th century the Lord Chamberlain, as head of the Royal Household, was formally placed in charge of tradesmen with a Royal Warrant of Appointment – a practice that continues today, with all Warrant-holder trading accounts still falling to the Lord Chamberlain’s office for scrutiny.
Abolished under Oliver Cromwell, Royal Warrants were re-established by Charles II and their usage has continued ever since, now standing at roughly 800 Warrant holders. Only the monarch can decide who may grant Royal Warrants. The current Grantors, as they are known, are HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales.
An individual or business can apply for a Royal Warrant only after they have supplied one of the three Grantors or their households with goods or services for at least five years. Among other things, suppliers are now required to demonstrate that they have a sustainable environmental policy and action plan. Prince Charles, in particular, has very strict environmental criteria for the granting of his Warrants.
Each application is scrutinised by the Royal Household Warrants Committee, who make their recommendation to the Grantor. Supplying goods or services to a Royal Household is no guarantee that a warrant will be issued.
The warrants themselves are granted for up to five years, to named individuals – known as Grantees – who must be a senior member of the company or the sole proprietor of the business. With the honour comes responsibility, and the Grantee is responsible for the Warrant’s correct usage, including appropriately displaying the relevant Royal Arms on their products, premises, stationery, vehicles and advertising. Inevitably, retail businesses tend to want to maximise the Royal Arms, while a scaffolding supply company might be less inclined to place it alongside their advertisement.
Regardless, the Royal Arms can only be displayed with the ‘By Appointment’ legend that details the Grantor, a trade description, company name and location. They can never be granted for professional services – eg, bankers, brokers or agents, solicitors, employment agencies, party planners, government agencies – or to newspapers, annual publications or periodicals. Bankrupts automatically lose their Warrant.
The majority of Grantees are now represented by the Royal Warrant Holders Association, a group that grew out of the Royal Tradesmen’s Association, formed in the 19th century by 25 tradesmen/suppliers who had come together to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday.
The Association’s members continue to honour the monarch on significant occasions. On the Queen and Prince Philip’s 25th wedding anniversary, for instance, they set up the Joint Silver Anniversary Trust, which provided funds for the building of homes. It existed for a set five-year period.
The Association advises Warrant Holders on everything to do with their Royal Warrant and assists with the correct interpretation and implementation of the Lord Chamberlain’s rules governing the Royal Warrant.
By the 15th century the Lord Chamberlain, as head of the Royal Household, was formally placed in charge of tradesmen with a Royal Warrant of Appointment – a practice that continues today, with all Warrant-holder trading accounts still falling to the Lord Chamberlain’s office for scrutiny.
Abolished under Oliver Cromwell, Royal Warrants were re-established by Charles II and their usage has continued ever since, now standing at roughly 800 Warrant holders. Only the monarch can decide who may grant Royal Warrants. The current Grantors, as they are known, are HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales.
An individual or business can apply for a Royal Warrant only after they have supplied one of the three Grantors or their households with goods or services for at least five years. Among other things, suppliers are now required to demonstrate that they have a sustainable environmental policy and action plan. Prince Charles, in particular, has very strict environmental criteria for the granting of his Warrants.
Each application is scrutinised by the Royal Household Warrants Committee, who make their recommendation to the Grantor. Supplying goods or services to a Royal Household is no guarantee that a warrant will be issued.
The warrants themselves are granted for up to five years, to named individuals – known as Grantees – who must be a senior member of the company or the sole proprietor of the business. With the honour comes responsibility, and the Grantee is responsible for the Warrant’s correct usage, including appropriately displaying the relevant Royal Arms on their products, premises, stationery, vehicles and advertising. Inevitably, retail businesses tend to want to maximise the Royal Arms, while a scaffolding supply company might be less inclined to place it alongside their advertisement.
Regardless, the Royal Arms can only be displayed with the ‘By Appointment’ legend that details the Grantor, a trade description, company name and location. They can never be granted for professional services – eg, bankers, brokers or agents, solicitors, employment agencies, party planners, government agencies – or to newspapers, annual publications or periodicals. Bankrupts automatically lose their Warrant.
The majority of Grantees are now represented by the Royal Warrant Holders Association, a group that grew out of the Royal Tradesmen’s Association, formed in the 19th century by 25 tradesmen/suppliers who had come together to honour Queen Victoria’s birthday.
The Association’s members continue to honour the monarch on significant occasions. On the Queen and Prince Philip’s 25th wedding anniversary, for instance, they set up the Joint Silver Anniversary Trust, which provided funds for the building of homes. It existed for a set five-year period.
The Association advises Warrant Holders on everything to do with their Royal Warrant and assists with the correct interpretation and implementation of the Lord Chamberlain’s rules governing the Royal Warrant.
Facts and figures about Royal Warrant holders
Some of the oldest Warrant holders The following have supplied goods to successive monarchs since…- 1760 (George III) – Berry Bros & Rudd, wine merchants
- 1761 (George III) – Justerini & Brooks, wine merchants
- 1783 (George III) – Thresher & Glenny, tailors
- 1837 (Queen Victoria) – Twinings
- 1863 (Queen Victoria) – Fortnum & Mason
Some recent Warrant holders
- Molton Brown (2013)
- John Smedley (2013)
- Bronte Porcelain (2014)
New Warrants
- Almost 350 new Warrants have been granted in the past 10 years and a similar number have not been renewed or have been cancelled. The number of Warrants has remained at around 800.
Supplying the Royal
- Household Like any household, the Royal Family draws its suppliers based on knowledge, experience of the supplier, recommendation or advertising.
Warrant holders by popular household sectors
- Food: 10 per cent
- Fashion: 10 per cent
- Interiors and home maintenance: 20 per cent
Foreign Warrant holders
- About one-third of Warrant holders are foreign-owned. However, most are British-based or located in the UK as an arm of a multinational.
Who is eligible for a Warrant?
- Royal Warrants are only granted to individuals or companies that provide goods or services to the Royal Household. Goods purchased for resale by souvenir shops run by Royal Collection Enterprises and the Private Estates, and goods or services provided to the Crown Estate, Historic Royal Palaces and Royal Parks do not qualify.
Does the Royal Warrant carry any restrictions?
- Royal Warrant holders may not disclose details of goods or services they provide – except as described in the wording or legend beneath the Royal Arms, eg, ‘By Appointment… Outfitters to HM The Queen’.
Does having a Royal Warrant mean that the products or services supplied are the best?
- No. It only means they are the preferred product or service.
Do Royal Warrant holders provide their products or services for free?
- No. All goods must be paid for and business is conducted on a strictly commercial basis.
What does a Royal Warrant cost?
- A Warrant costs nothing. However, the Royal Warrant Holders Association, which acts on behalf of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office in carrying out all initial clerical work in connection with Royal Warrants, is obliged to levy an administration charge to all Warrant holders who do not pay a subscription as members of the Royal Warrant Holders Association (currently only 60 companies). The as sociation isn’t part of the Royal Household.
Does the Royal Family only obtain products or services from Royal Warrant holders?
- No. Purchases are made from other sources.
Why might a company or individual lose a Royal Warrant?
- The product or service is no longer manufactured or available.
- The goods or services are no longer required.
- The quality of the product or service is not up to standard.
- The business stops trading, goes into liquidation or is declared bankrupt.
- There is a significant change in the control or ownership of the holding company.
How many Royal Warrants are cancelled each year?
- Between 20 and 40 – and a similar number of new ones are granted.
What happens to a company or individual when a Royal Warrant is cancelled?
- They are normally allowed 12 months to alter their packaging and stationery and to remove the Royal Arms from their vehicles and buildings.
What happens when a Grantor dies?
- The Royal Warrant is normally cancelled fi ve years after the Grantor’s death, provided there is no signifi cant change within the company concerned. During this period the company is obliged to alter the wording under the Royal Arms to ‘By Appointment to the late…’.
How are new Grantors appointed?
- The decision, and number of Grantors, is a matter for the monarch.