A hundred food and drink brands and retailers granted a Royal Warrant from the Queen will have to discontinue the use of the Royal Arms in connection with the business, following her death on Thursday.
A Royal Warrant of Appointment is a document that appoints a company in a trading capacity to the Royal household. It entitles the holder to use the Royal Arms in connection with their business, with many opting to display it on packaging and in marketing material.
As of the Queen’s death, those warrants are all now void, and companies have two years to drop the use of the Royal Arms.
The event affects 100 food and drink businesses, as well as others in categories such as cleaning products and health & beauty.
It is understood they will have to reapply for a Royal Warrant – as they must every five years – from the new monarch, and prove they “supply products or services on a regular and ongoing basis to the Royal households … for not less than five years out of the past seven,” said The Royal Warrant Holders Association.
“Amongst other things, applicants are also required to demonstrate that they have an appropriate environmental and sustainability policy and action plan,” the association added.
Typically around 30 Royal Warrants are granted each year, with a similar number being cancelled.
Several food retailers hold a Royal Warrant, including Waitrose, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, as well as wholesaler Bidfood. Many brands and manufacturers do too, among them Heinz, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Premier Foods, Unilever, British Sugar and Britvic.
The warrant holders list features several alcohol brands, among them Martini, Dubonnet, Johnnie Walker, The Famous Grouse owner Matthew Gloag & Son, Gordon’s, Pimm’s and nine champagne brands.
Delphis Eco is also a warrant holder, one of a total of 620 businesses across all sectors appointed by the Queen. Several specialist mongers and merchants of food and drink also feature among them.
It is unclear whether businesses holding Royal Warrants issued by the HRH the Prince of Wales – such as Berry Bros & Rudd, Carluccio’s, Laurent-Perrier UK and Foodari – will also have their warrants voided, following Prince Charles’ ascension to King.
Several brands and retailers with warrants have held them through successive monarchs. In 1928, Waitrose was awarded a Royal Warrant by King George V to supply groceries and cleaning materials. The Windsor branch was awarded the warrant because it supplied Queen Mary with her favourite honey soap.
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