Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The royal warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the issuer of the royal warrant; thus lending prestige to the supplier. Royal families of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, and Thailand among others, allow tradesmen to advertise royal patronage.
Suppliers having a royal warrant charge for the goods and services supplied; a royal warrant does not imply that suppliers provide goods or services free of charge. Royal warrants are typically advertised on company hoardings, letter-heads and products by displaying the coat of arms or the heraldic badge of the royal personage issuing the royal warrant. Warrants granted by members of the British royal family usually include the phrase "By Appointment to…" followed by the title and name of the royal customer, and then what goods are provided; no other details of what is supplied may be given.
In Belgium the title of 'Purveyor to the Court' (Gebrevetteerd Hofleverancier van België/Fournisseur breveté de la Cour de Belgique) is granted to businesses who provide services or goods to the royal court.
The list of 'purveyors to the Court' is updated every year. The king himself makes the decision who gets a title or not.
In the Netherlands, the status hofleverancier is awarded to small and medium-sized businesses that have existed for at least 100 years which have a good reputation regionally.[2] However, the companies need not actually supply goods to the court. At present there are at least 387 companies that hold this status, which can be renewed every 25 years.[3] Companies designated as hofleverancier are further permitted to display a plaque on their premises attesting to their status.
In addition, certain companies are granted the use of the designation koninklijke ("royal" in Dutch).[4] These companies are also allowed to incorporate a crown in their logo. Examples include:
Commercial honours and recognitions in the form of warrant appointments were issued by royal households of the Indian Princely States to purveyors of goods and services prior to the end of imperial rule in 1947.[7] In recent years, former suzerain monarchies such as the House of Ghorpade have revived these institutions as programs to foster economic growth and encourage the patronage of small, independent, and local businesses.[8]
In the Russian Empire since 1856 there was the designation with the highest authorization "Supplier of His Imperial Majesty" with the state coat of arms on the shield. From 1895, at the request of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a second, additional authorization was granted: "Supplier of Her Imperial Majesty". Both authorizations existed until 1917, until the abdication of Nicholas II.[10]
Gubanova Toiletries of Morshansk Russia appointed in 1763 with a Royal Warrant by Empress Catherine II to provide special cleaning and skincare products
The Victoria Fine Soap Works, Minsk, Belarus – soap to Nicholas I and the Imperial family
Sljeme (Zagreb) – trunks and leather goods, appointed in 1931
References
^Suppliers, Association of Belgian Warrant Holders
^Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (3 December 2014). "Predicaat Hofleverancier (overzicht organisaties 2015)". www.koninklijkhuis.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-02-06.
^Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene. "Predicaat Hofleverancier (overzicht organisaties 2015)". www.koninklijkhuis.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-02-06.
^Zaken, Ministerie van Algemene (3 December 2014). "Predicaat Koninklijk". www.koninklijkhuis.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2017-02-06.
^Hoffstad, Einar (1935). Merkantilt biografisk leksikon : hvem er hvem i næringslivet?.
^"Automobile Bavaria Group - Centru de presă". www.automobilebavaria.ro.
^"Indian Princely States and the 19th-century Transformation of the Law of Nations". Journal of International Dispute Settlement. 11 (3). 23 September 2020 – via Oxford University Press.
^"Ghorpade Warrant Program". Royal Ghorpade Dynasty Archive. 19 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Ostroumov, Alexander (1912). Nashi Artistki (Our Artists). Typography Partnership A. I. Mamontov, Moskow. p. 2.
^Pskov state historical, architectural and art museum
^Ostroumov, Alexander (1912). Nashi Artistki (Our Artists). Typography Partnership A. I. Mamontov, Moskow. p. 2.
^Rascanu, Dan (March 30, 2022). "English: This is an advertising poster for an anti-dandruff soap produced by A.M. Ostroumov in Moscow – Russian Empire, at the beginning of the XX century. At the top of the image is the coat of arms of the Russian Empire and it says that the company A.M. Ostroumov was purveyor to the court of His Imperial Majesty. This photocopy is after an original photo from the archive of my family Rascanu / Ostroumov" – via Wikimedia Commons.
^"Tausug Blend, Tin of 20 Sachets". Harney & Sons Fine Teas. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
External links
Media related to Royal Warrant holders at Wikimedia Commons