Jaguar

The Royal Warrant Losing Its Lustre

The Classicist calls it a tempest in a Royal Doulton teacup; read on to find out why. Only three royals are entitled to grant warrants the Queen of England, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales to firms who supply their royal requisites for at least five years, though most warrant holders have ties to Britain’s royal family dating back several decades or more.

Holders of the Royal Warrant include many of our favorite luxury brands Asprey, Aston Martin, Bentley, Barbour, Burberry, Fortnum & Mason, Gieves & Hawkes, Holland & Holland, Hunter Boots, Jaguar, John Lobb, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, Laphroaig, Lock & Co., Swaine Adeney Brigg, Smythson, Tanqueray and Turnbull & Asser along with a host of lesser names, such as After Eight mints and Jacob’s Cream Crackers. It is the latter two that have now decided to do without their warrants though no insult is intended to the royal family, as it was when former Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed burned his last year. That coupled with the results of a new survey showing that only 13% of respondents thought that warrants make any difference have called their usefulness into question, the London Guardian reports.

However she also notes that the royals have “failed to manage their brand and their warrants in particular,” noting “their ubiquity may have devalued them”; that modern life is now so busy that people don’t notice such things; and that “the general quality of products is higher than in the past and the mere fact something is stocked by a leading supermarket is endorsement enough of its quality.” We however feel that a Royal Warrant is an inestimably valuable mark of excellence, and that securing it requires firms to maintain the highest standards. Snob appeal aside, the brands favored with royal patronage form a club that many would still give their eyeteeth to get into.