Shop Like a Royal – Whether you buy food, clothing, goods, or services online, or in person, you may have noticed some items carry the Royal Warrant Crest. In the age of social media and celebrity influences, these highly regarded Royal stamps of approval for goods and services are impressive endorsements you can trust.
This is something that has recently caught my eye, as I have been more aware of the impressive logo on display in my local supermarket.
Royal Warrants of Appointment are the ultimate mark of recognition for those who have supplied the highest quality of goods or services to the households of Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh or His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and it is The Monarch who decides who may grant Royal Warrants.
Waitrose is a prime example of a company that many of us are familiar with. 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! The food system, Natoora supplies several wonderful fruit and vegetables to HM The Queen and are a stockist in Waitrose too, so you may have spotted their range carrying their individual Crest.
These Royal Warrants have been awarded for centuries to acknowledge the tradespeople who are regarded as demonstrating service, quality, and excellence.
To qualify to receive the honour, companies must have been supplying one of the royal households for at least five years.
One of the first recipients was printer William Caxton in 1476. William was an English merchant, diplomat, and writer. He is thought to be the first person to introduce a printing press into England, in 1476, and as a printer was the first English retailer of printed books.
Over the years, warrants have been rewarded as well as removed; with brands ranging from King’s Fine Food, the largest caviar importer into the UK, Asprey Jewellers and Clockmaker, Apollo fire detectors to those that have lost their Royal Warrants like Hoover, home appliances, and Carrs the biscuit makers.
Losing a warrant can be for a variety of reasons, it may be due to the quality of the product or service that is not up to standard. The product or service is no longer manufactured or available or the goods or services are no longer required.
One of the longest-serving warrant-holders is Berry Bros. & Rudd. They are Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, and one of the ten oldest family-run businesses in the UK, founded in 1698.
Berry Bros. & Rudd has been the official wine supplier to the British Royal Family since the reign of King George III and received its first Royal Warrant of Appointment in 1903 from King Edward VII. Queen Elizabeth II granted the company her royal warrant in 1952, while Charles, Prince of Wales granted it his in 1998.
The appointments are highly prized, with only around 800 companies the world over, from a diverse cross-section of trade and industry, in possession of a Royal Warrant. Regardless of size or specialisation, Royal Warrant holders are united by their commitment to the highest standards of service, quality, and excellence.
For the consumer, this mark of excellence guarantees a great product and service, for the supplier it enables them to advertise the fact that they supply to the issuer of the royal warrant, thus lending prestige to the supplier.
Poppy Watt