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Royal warrant on display in London
© Buckingham Palace Press Office

ROYAL WARRANTS

Royal warrants are granted to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for a minimum of five consecutive years to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh or The Prince of Wales.

Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was also a grantor of warrants; warrants granted by her will be retained for five years from her death (until 2007).

Each of these members of the Royal Family can grant only one warrant to any individual business, but a business may hold warrants from more than one member of the Royal Family.

Advice on granting warrants is provided by the Lord Chamberlain, who is head of the Royal Household and chairman of the Royal Household Tradesmen’s Warrants Committee.

The warrants are a mark of recognition that tradesmen are regular suppliers of goods and services to the Royal households. Strict regulations govern the warrant, which allows the grantee or company to use the legend ‘By Appointment’ and display the Royal coat of arms on his products, such as stationery, advertisements and other printed material, in his or her premises and on delivery vehicles.

A Royal warrant is initially granted for five years, after which time it comes up for review by the Royal Household Tradesmen’s Warrants Committee. Warrants may not be renewed if the quality or supply for the product or service is insufficient, as far as the relevant Royal Household is concerned.

A warrant may be cancelled at any time and is automatically reviewed if the grantee dies or leaves the business, or if the firm goes bankrupt or is sold. There are rules to ensure that high standards are maintained.

Since the Middle Ages, tradesmen who have acted as suppliers of goods and services to the Sovereign have received formal recognition. In the beginning, this patronage took the form of Royal charters given collectively to various guilds in trades and crafts which later became known as livery companies.

Over the centuries, the relationship between the Crown and individual tradesmen was formalised by the issue of Royal warrants.


	Royal warrant on display in London © Buckingham Palace Press Office ROYAL WARRANTS Royal warrants are granted to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for a minimum of five consecutive years to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh or The Prince of Wales. Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was also a grantor of warrants; warrants granted by her will be retained for five years from her death (until 2007). Each of these members of the Royal Family can grant only one warrant to any individual business, but a business may hold warrants from more than one member of the Royal Family. Advice on granting warrants is provided by the Lord Chamberlain, who is head of the Royal Household and chairman of the Royal Household Tradesmen’s Warrants Committee. The warrants are a mark of recognition that tradesmen are regular suppliers of goods and services to the Royal households. Strict regulations govern the warrant, which allows the grantee or company to use the legend ‘By Appointment’ and display the Royal coat of arms on his products, such as stationery, advertisements and other printed material, in his or her premises and on delivery vehicles. A Royal warrant is initially granted for five years, after which time it comes up for review by the Royal Household Tradesmen’s Warrants Committee. Warrants may not be renewed if the quality or supply for the product or service is insufficient, as far as the relevant Royal Household is concerned. A warrant may be cancelled at any time and is automatically reviewed if the grantee dies or leaves the business, or if the firm goes bankrupt or is sold. There are rules to ensure that high standards are maintained. Since the Middle Ages, tradesmen who have acted as suppliers of goods and services to the Sovereign have received formal recognition. In the beginning, this patronage took the form of Royal charters given collectively to various guilds in trades and crafts which later became known as livery companies. Over the centuries, the relationship between the Crown and individual tradesmen was formalised by the issue of Royal warrants.
	In the reign of Henry VIII, Thomas Hewytt was appointed to ‘Serve the Court with Swannes and Cranes and all kinds of Wildfoule’. In 1684 goods and services to the Palace included a Haberdasher of Hats, a Watchmaker in Reversion, an Operator for the Teeth and a Goffe-Club Maker. According to the Royal Kalendar of 1789, a Pin Maker, a Mole Taker, a Card Maker and a Rat Catcher were among tradesmen appointed to the court. Warrant holders today represent a large cross-section of British trade and industry (there is a small number of foreign names), ranging from dry cleaners to fishmongers, and from agricultural machinery to computer software. Some firms have a record of Royal warrants reaching back over more than 100 years. Warrant-holding firms do not provide their goods or services free to the Royal households, and all transactions are conducted on a strictly commercial basis. There are currently approximately 800 Royal warrant holders, holding over 1,100 Royal warrants between them (some have more than one Royal warrant). On 25 May 1840, a gathering of ‘Her Majesty’s Tradesmen’ held a celebration in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday. They later decided to make this an annual event and formed themselves for the purpose into an association which eventually became known as the Royal Warrant Holders Association. The organisation acts both in a supervisory role to ensure that the standards of quality and reliability in their goods and services are upheld, and as a channel of communication for its members in their dealings with the various departments of the Royal Household. The Royal Warrant Holders Association ensures that the Royal warrant is not used by those not entitled and is correctly applied by those who are. Queen Victoria Biography of the longest-reigning British monarch SUGGESTED LINKS Royal Warrant Holders’ Association