Waitrose and Fortnum & Mason are among the food and drink companies to have been awarded new royal warrants by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The Royal Household has reviewed the list of warrant holders following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022. On Monday (13 May), the Royal Warrant Holders Association published the new list.
The 145 appointments are the monarch’s first as King, with seven of the companies also receiving warrants from Queen Camilla. The grants were all made to companies who previously held royal warrants, having been appointed during the reign of the late Queen, or by Charles as Prince of Wales.
Waitrose is the only supermarket to hold a royal warrant, as grocers and wine & spirit merchants to the King. The supermarket has a long association with the royal family, having first received a royal warrant from George V in 1928 and again from Elizabeth II in 2002. In the late 1990s Waitrose partnered with the King’s Duchy Originals Ltd to launch its premium Duchy Originals own label. While Prince of Wales, Charles again granted Waitrose a royal warrant in 2010.
“We are honoured and proud that His Majesty has granted us his warrant,” said Waitrose executive director James Bailey. “It means the world to all of us, and our farmers and suppliers.
“There couldn’t be a more powerful symbol of our commitment to service and quality, and our determination to have the highest environmental and animal welfare standards.”
Wine and spirit manufacturers were a heavy presence on the list, with the inclusion of wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd, and the Cornwall vineyard Camel Valley. Tea brand Twinings and cheesemaker Charles Martell have also had their warrants renewed.
Despite regularly being referred to as the ‘royal grocer’, it marks the first time in 28 years that Fortnum & Mason has received a new warrant, CEO Tom Athron said while announcing the news. F&M was also one of only seven businesses, alongside Camel Valley, to receive a warrant from Queen Camilla as well.
“To receive a royal warrant in 2024 is a big deal,” Athron said. “We are required to demonstrate a rigorous focus on acting for a sustainable future, supporting the country’s rural and farming communities and protecting the arts and heritage crafts, all things that are very close to our hearts at Fortnum’s.
“We are far from perfect on all these issues, but we do have a plan that is central to our decision making, and grounded in the firm belief that these issues are now super-important to our customers.”
The review only included companies who previously held royal warrants, all of which had to reapply. Applications for new warrant holders are not set to be held until 2025.
Not all food and drink brands were successful in their reapplication. Ballater-based Butcher HM Sheridan, which had supplied meat to Balmoral, was not granted a new warrant. Household goods giant Kimberly-Clark was also unsuccessful.
See the list in full below.
Companies by appointment to His Majesty The King:
- Berry Bros & Rudd, wine and spirits merchant
- Camel Valley Cornwall, purveyor of English sparkling wines
- Carluccio’s, supplier of Italian food and truffles
- Caws Cenarth Cheese Limited, cheesemakers
- Champagne Laurent-Perrier, Champagne producer
- Corney & Barrow limited, wine and spirit merchant
- D&F McCarthy Limited, fruit and vegetable merchant
- D. Johnson & Co (Laphroaig), distiller and supplier of single malt scotch whiskey
- Desside Deli ltd, greengrocer
- Delphis Eco Limited, manufacturer of environmentally friendly cleaning products
- Denhay Farms Limited, bacon curer
- Flying Fish Seafoods Co, supplier of Cornish seafoods
- Fortnum & Mason, grocer and tea merchant
- Welsh Farmhouse Apple Juice, supplier of apple and pear juice
- Floris London, manufacturers of toilet preparations
- London & Scottish international, supplier of organic spirits
- Paxton & Whitfield, cheesemongers
- Twinings, tea and coffee merchants
- Rhug Organic Farm, supplier of organic meat
- Shipton Mill, flour miller
- The Ritz Hotel, banqueting and catering services
- Waitrose Limited, grocer and wine and spirit merchant·
- Wark Farm, supplier of organic meat
Companies by appointment to Her Majesty The Queen:
- Camel Valley, purveyor of English sparkling wines
- Corney & Barrow, wine merchants
- Fortnum & Mason, grocers and provision merchants
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