Businesses which have been granted a Royal Warrant from the Queen will have to stop using the Royal Arms after the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week.
A Royal Warrant of Appointment is a document given to suppliers of the Royal household and allows the holder to use the Royal Arms on packaging and in marketing material. The firms that have a Royal Warrant from the Queen will have two years to drop the use of the Royal Arms, as those warrants are now void. About 30 Royal Warrants are granted each year, with a similar number being terminated.
It is understood these companies have to reapply for a Royal Warrant from the new monarch, and prove they supply “products or services on a regular and on-going basis to the Royal Households of grantor/s for not less than five years out of the past seven.”
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Many retailers hold a Royal Warrant, including Waitrose and Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, and food and drink giants such as Heinz, Cadbury and Coca-Cola are also on the list.
J&M Sewing, based in Charlotte Square, Newcastle, manufactures church robes and church furnishings such as altar linen, frontals and falls and was granted a Royal Warrant from the Queen in 2007. "We've just been told to await further information from the Royal Warrant Holders Association, and I guess it might be a while before that's sorted out," said a spokesman.
Some businesses, such as Bedmax, of Belford, Northumberland, a manufacturer of bespoke bedding for horses, have been granted a Royal Warrant by more than one member of the Royal Family. Bedmax was granted a Royal Warrant by the Queen in 2008 but also holds a Royal Warrant granted by the then HRH the Prince of Wales in 2019.
Probably the best known local Royal Warrant holder is J Barbour and Sons Ltd, based in South Shields, which manufactures outdoor clothing products and is best known for its green waxed jackets regularly worn by members of the Royal Family. J Barbour has warrants from the Queen, the then Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.
Procter & Gamble, the company behind some of the world’s most iconic brands including Pampers, Gillette, Pantene, Ariel, Fairy, Olay and Oral B, has a facility on Cobalt Park, North Tyneside. The company currently holds a Royal Warrant from the Queen.
Hardy's, of Alnwick, holds a Royal Warrant as a manufacturer of fishing tackle, awarded by HRH The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.
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