The King and Queen have issued their latest tranche of royal warrants, honoring everything from the royal rat catcher to Camilla’s hairdresser.
Royal warrants are granted in recognition of the supply of goods or services to the Royal Household and senior members of the Royal Family, and are considered a highly coveted mark of excellence around the world.
Almost 400 companies are included in the latest batch of Royal Warrants of Appointment representing a variety of different industries across the UK, and beyond, from traditional crafts to clothing and food manufacturers.
The King’s list includes 386 companies that previously had a charter for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, which he decided to keep.
These range from ‘official suppliers of Martini Vermouth’, Bacardi-Martini, to Command Pest Control Ltd, Dunelm for furniture, Foodspeed for milk, Kellogg’s for cereals, florist Lottie Longman and McIlhenny as the official supplier of Tabasco hot sauce.
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla has issued seven royal warrants, including that of her long-serving hairdresser, Jo Hansford MBE, responsible for her familiar blonde locks for the past 30 years.
Despite being married to the monarch, Camilla still likes to come to her Mayfair salon in person to watch her highlights and have a good chat.
Ms Hansford told the Mail: “It is a real honor to receive a royal warrant from the Queen, who I have been proud to have as a client for more than three decades.”
The King and Queen have issued their latest tranche of royal guarantees, involving almost 400 companies.
‘I think it’s particularly wonderful that the Queen has awarded it to a company run and owned exclusively by women. It really shows that with grit and determination you can achieve truly incredible things. All our clients receive the same treatment. We value each and every one of them.”
There are also injunctions for three of the Queen’s favorite couturiers, Anna Valentine, who designed her wedding dress, Fiona Clare and Mr Roy, as well as her favorite milliner, Philip Treacey, and her local vet, Benson & Babb. in Gloucestershire.
Royal Charters have been granted for centuries and currently last up to five years. Warrant holders are evaluated against a number of criteria, including sustainability, a cause close to Charles’ heart.
Royal Warrants allow companies to have a royal coat of arms on their packaging for at least five years, although they can be canceled if products do not meet expected standards.
Receiving a Royal Warrant is considered a great advantage for British companies both in the UK and abroad.
Charles Owen, of Clwyd-based Owen Burek, which has a warranty for the Clwyd protective cap manufacturer, said: “As a British manufacturer serving a global market, having a Royal Warrant is the ultimate recognition of the quality of our products and services. We have particularly welcomed the Royal Household’s increasing attention to sustainability in recent years.
Hillier Nurseries in Hampshire added: “This Royal Warrant is not only a symbol of the trust placed in us by the Royal Household, but also a recognition of our dedication to sustainability, excellence and the highest standards of craftsmanship.”
In May, Queen Camilla granted prestigious royal warrants for the first time and decided to grant one to Fortnum & Mason.
Queen Camilla has issued seven royal warrants, including that of her long-serving hairdresser, Jo Hansford MBE (pictured)
King Charles has decided to allow Martini Vermouth suppliers Bacardi-Martini to continue to have their royal warrant which was initially issued by the late Queen.
McIlhenny, the official supplier of Tabasco sauce, was also allowed to keep his royal order.
The luxury department store is one of seven brands to receive Camilla’s seal of approval.
Other companies that have obtained a court order include Wartski jewelers in London, which made the King and Queen’s wedding rings in 2005.
Queen Camilla, known for enjoying a drink and president of Wine GB, the national association of the English and Welsh wine industry, has also decided to grant her authorization to two wine companies.
Other recipients of Camilla guarantees include London chemist DR Harris and Co, ‘floral alchemists’ Shane Connolly & Co and stationery supplier Smythson.
King Charles even decided to renew Parker’s royal order, despite being visibly upset by a leaking fountain pen just days after his mother’s death in 2022.
But not all companies retained their status. Queen Elizabeth’s favorite village butcher previously spoke of his disappointment after King Charles withdrew one of his royal orders.
The King includes 386 companies that previously had a guarantee order to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, which he has decided to keep
King Charles even decided to renew Parker’s royal warrant in May, despite being visibly upset by a leaking fountain pen just days after his mother’s death.
John Sinclair, co-owner of HM Sheridan, a butcher shop near Balmoral Castle that has supplied the Royal Family for almost 40 years, said he feared he had lost one of his two prized royal orders because its meat is not organic.
The decision was made as part of a review of 184 royal warrants that had previously been granted by the King when he was Prince of Wales.
Some of those who lost their orders may not have reapplied, but The Mail on Sunday has established that at least eight companies, including HM Sheridan, attempted to retain their status but were rejected by the Palace.
Real warranties have varied wildly over the years, and at one point even a broomstick company appeared.
The Nash family has been making broomsticks, brooms and pea sticks for about 300 years.
They gained the late Queen’s seal of approval in 1999 and Bradley Nash supplied the Queen’s household with around 120 brooms a year from his workshop in the village of Tadley in Hampshire.
But unfortunately, the company did not appear in this year’s list of warranty holders.
Last October, it was reported that iconic British brands feared they would lose millions of pounds and receive King Charles’ seal of approval if they did not prove their green credentials.
Hundreds of companies granted a royal warrant under Queen Elizabeth II were subject to review by the royal household.following a change of the reigning sovereign’, with the environmentally conscious Charles looking specifically at its sustainability scores.
Consequently, some of the UK’s best-known brands (including Cadbury, Burberry and Audi) with a poor environmental record found themselves at risk of losing their warranties.
In June of this year, Charles was urged to revoke guarantees from Cadbury and Unilever, owner of Marmite. due to its ties with Russia.
Ahead of Charles’s official birthday on June 15, Ukrainian activists urged the monarch to strip companies that continue to operate under Vladimir Putin’s regime of their awards.
B4Ukraine highlighted brands such as Bacardi, Nestlé, Unilever and Mondelez, Cadbury’s parent company, noting that their “prolonged presence and financial support of these companies in Russia only serves to prolong the brutal war.”
Nestlé, Unilever and Mondelez did not receive royal guarantees in this latest round of awards, but continue to have guarantees granted by the late Queen as of June.
In February, Charles said: “I continue to be very encouraged that the UK and our allies continue to be at the forefront of international efforts to support Ukraine at this time of so much suffering and need.” My heart goes out to all those affected as I remember them in my thoughts and prayers.’
In a statement to The Telegraph, a Mondelez spokesperson said: “Cadbury is deeply proud to have received its first Royal Warrant in 1854 and has held a Royal Warrant from Her Late Majesty The Queen since 1955.”
A Nestlé representative highlighted a 2022 statement that noted a “drastic reduction of our portfolio in Russia.”
At the time, Unilever and Bacardi did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment.