From V.S.O.P. Cognac shoutouts in rap videos to tequilas backed by Hollywood stars, the world of drinks is rife with celebrity endorsements. The boss level: Those rare brands allowed to feature the coat of arms of the British monarch, along with the phrase “by appointment to” the formal name and title of the U.K. head of state, or at least a close relative. Known as royal warrants, fewer than 40 are currently held by beverage companies. They include some of the world’s most famous drinks, from Angostura to Veuve Clicquot — and they’re about to change.
The development follows the September 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II, who issued the lion’s share of the more than 800 current royal warrants in use at the time of her passing, including the majority of those held by drinks companies. After the death of the royal who granted the warrant, brands can keep using the coat of arms and the name and title for up to two years, according to the website of the Royal Warrant Holders Association. And after a change of sovereign, the site notes, “the royal household will review warrant grants.”
That yay-or-nay process is already happening, albeit behind the scenes, says Charlie Richardson, who runs the monarchy-focused “Not a Royal Expert” TikTok account.
“In September last year at Balmoral, the king held a meeting with the Royal Warrant Holders Association,” he says. “How involved the meeting was, or how much was discussed, is unknown.”
Recent reports in British newspapers have focused on the negative impact of the potential loss of warrants for some holders, due to the preferences of the new sovereign, King Charles III. The shifts could affect a total of 39 royal warrants connected to drinks, most of which are held by classic — and often slightly fusty — brands like Pimm’s and Dubonnet, as well as more obscure producers like the Lochnagar Distillery not far from the royals’ second home at Balmoral Castle. If those makers fall out of favor, are seen as having dropped in quality, or do not meet the requirement of having regularly supplied goods to members of the ruling family in recent years, their royal branding could go poof.
Many of the biggest producers have longstanding ties to U.K. royals, Richardson notes, including the eight producers of French bubbly that were granted royal warrants by Queen Elizabeth: Bollinger, Mumm, Krug, Lanson, Roederer, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, and Pol Roger.
“Companies like Champagne producers have links to the household that date back to Queen Victoria,” he says. “It may be the case of ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’”
An Array of Champagnes
Eight Champagne suppliers might sound like a lot to us plebs, but there are two things to keep in mind. First, Queen Elizabeth II was a traditionalist and disinclined to make major changes in general, Richardson says, which might have allowed established brands to stay on the list over decades, just as long as they met the requirements of having supplied goods — that is, sold bottles — to members of the royal household on a regular basis for a minimum of five years out of the previous seven.
A second point to remember? There are in fact a total of nine Champagne houses with royal warrants, not eight, since Laurent-Perrier also holds a royal warrant that was granted by the former Prince Charles before he assumed the throne as king. That’s because the U.K.’s ruling sovereign can also designate other members of the royal family as “grantors” of royal warrants. In recent years, those grantors included Prince Charles and his father, Prince Philip, the former Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away in 2021.
“As the king is a big environmentalist, the green ethics of companies could now be of greater consideration in deciding warrants, if these types of companies do in fact regularly supply the household.”
That Prince Charles granted a royal warrant to a large but still family-owned Champagne producer like Laurent-Perrier hints to how things might change going forward. Unlike Johnnie Walker and other multinational marques that got their warrants from Queen Elizabeth, the royal warrants for drinks given by Prince Charles often went to family brands or regional producers, like Camel Valley Winery, the first English winemaker to receive such an honor. While Queen Elizabeth had her seal and “by appointment to” branding on two mass-market gins, Gordon’s and Tanqueray, the former Prince of Wales issued his royal warrant to Juniper Green Organic Gin, a small, contract-distilled brand with an ecological focus.
For Anthony Gladman, author of “Gin: A Tasting Course,” that looks like a very recherché choice, one that emphasizes the new king’s organic and environmental bona fides.
“That’s always been part of the Charles brand — he’s always been keen to project that image,” he says. “There’s such a stark difference between Gordon’s and Juniper Green. It can’t just be that he happened to like this gin — there has to be some message behind it.”
Going forward, products with ecological or all-natural angles might get more emphasis, Richardson says.
“The king definitely favors smaller, local businesses,” he says. “As the king is a big environmentalist, the green ethics of companies could now be of greater consideration in deciding warrants, if these types of companies do in fact regularly supply the household.”
Another unknown: the influence of new grantors. Just as Prince Charles and Prince Philip joined Queen Elizabeth in granting a limited amount of royal warrants, other members of the family might soon have the same privilege. Richardson thinks those would probably include Queen Camilla and William, Prince of Wales, and possibly even Catherine, Princess of Wales. Their personal interests, preferences, and tastes might affect who gets new recognition — and whose royal branding gets dropped.
Awareness and Approval
To quote the man who sang “The Queen is Dead,” so what difference does it make?
“Getting a royal warrant means associating with the highest-end brand of them all. It’s literally a royal seal of approval.”
In a lot of cases, not much. The folks at Coca-Cola would probably prefer to keep the royal warrant they currently hold as “Suppliers of Soft Drinks — By Appointment to HM Queen Elizabeth II,” but it’s highly unlikely that the global beverage behemoth would go out of business if they don’t. And it’s not like bartenders are going to stop putting Angostura into Old Fashioneds if it no longer carries the royal coat of arms.
But for smaller British brands like H.R. Higgins coffee or the Windsor & Eton Brewery, a royal warrant is kind of a big deal. In an article about the upcoming changes, The Mirror reported that a royal warrant has been shown to increase business by 5 percent annually — a significant plus, especially for producers with thinner revenue streams.
Although that might make a difference to the bottom line, it makes a bigger impact in terms of public awareness — even for an entire industry. Granting an English producer of sparkling wine the very same royal warrant as Moët & Chandon was mostly symbolic, stating publicly not just that Camel Valley was comparable to a legendary Champagne, but that English wine producers needed to be taken more seriously — one of their long-term goals, according to Felicity Carter, founder of Drinks Insider.
“The English wine industry has, from its inception, wanted to be associated with high-end British brands, and getting a royal warrant means associating with the highest-end brand of them all,” she says. “It’s literally a royal seal of approval.”
Although the process of re-evaluating the U.K.’s royal warrants was said to have started last fall, the updates have almost certainly been complicated by the recent illnesses of the Princess of Wales and King Charles.
That can mean a lot for local pride and public awareness. And, in many cases, that can change things outside the country as well. In a 2008 New York Times article about the benefits of royal warrants for British fashion houses, one holder credited it for his company’s very survival, highlighting the importance of its impact on both domestic and foreign sales. “The royal seal of approval gets me noticed both here and in countries like Japan,” he said.
In fact, that might be the main point. Support for the monarchy among Britons is reported to be waning. But in other countries, the British royal family is a point of interest, even fascination.
It’s worth noting that the U.K. isn’t the only country that still has a royal family — and many of the others grant warrants, too. In Denmark, a royal warrant was held by Danish Distillers, known for Aalborg akvavit and Gammel Dansk bitters. But in an interesting coincidence, the recent abdication of Queen Margarethe means that the title “By Appointment to The Royal Danish Court” was formally annulled on Jan. 14, the date of succession, according to the website of the Danish royal family. It remains to be seen which companies will receive royal warrants under Denmark’s new ruler, King Frederik X.
Although the process of re-evaluating the U.K.’s royal warrants was said to have started last fall, the updates have almost certainly been complicated by the recent illnesses of the Princess of Wales and King Charles. Within the next few months, however, royal watchers like Richardson expect to hear more about which producers will be allowed to keep their British royal warrants, which brands might be granted new ones, and which names will suddenly stop carrying “by appointment to” and a coat of arms on their labels. For nearly 40 drink makers and sellers, there’s tension in the air.
“Having a royal warrant definitely adds a sense of prestige,” Richardson says. “If your product is fit for a king, then it must be pretty good.”
