A Royal Warrant of Appointment, to give a Royal Warrant its full title, is the formal acknowledgement, on the part of the Sovereign, that a satisfactory trading arrangement exists with a commercial company. The special relationship between “trade” and the monarchy is as old as time itself and, within the UK, Royal Warrants have existed in one form or another since the Middle Ages.

In the 12th century, trades and crafts obtained royal patronage in a collective manner by means of Royal Charters. The first known Royal Charter was granted to the Weavers’ Company by Henry II in 1155. By the time Elizabeth I came to the throne, individual tradesmen were being appointed to the Court by means of “Letters Patent”. By the 18th century, those tradesmen, who supplied the Royal Household, were being formally recorded in the Royal Kalendar ( an annual almanac a bit like Wisden) that listed the establishments of State. In the 1789 edition, for example, those listed include: a Ratkiller, Pinmaker, Spatterdash Maker and Watchmaker.

A record of the official grant to use the Royal Arms in connection with business first appears during the reign of William IV, but it was during the reign of Queen Victoria that the institution of the Royal Warrant of Appointment began to evolve into the form that exists today. In essence, a Royal Warrant confers on the Warrant Holder (or Grantee), who must be a director of the company concerned, the right to display the Royal Arms in connection with their business. This can include, for instance, their premises, product and packaging, vehicles, stationery and advertising.

William Caxton, the first English printer, received an early version of the Royal Warrant when he was appointed the King’s printer in 1476

However, in order to protect the Royal Family from commercial exploitation, the ways in which the Royal Arms may be used are carefully defined in what are known as The Royal Chamberlain’s Rules. It is the Sovereign who decides which members of the Royal Family may grant Warrants (the Grantors). For the time being, they are the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. Warrants are granted for five years, after which time they are reviewed, and they survive for five years following the death of a Grantor. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Warrants will remain extant until the end of 2007.

To apply for a Royal Warrant, a company or sole trader must have supplied goods or services, on a regular basis, to those members of the Royal Family who have the power to grant Warrants, or their Households, for a period of not less than five years. Applications are initially scrutinised by a committee chaired by The Lord Chamberlain, although the Grantor always makes the final decision. While companies may hold Warrants from more than one Grantor – and some indeed hold all four – the Grantors only ever issue one Warrant to a company. There are some 850 Warrant-holding companies in total.

The Royal Warrant Holders Association
At some point, towards the end of George IV’s reign, the royal tradesmen had begun the practice of holding a dinner in London to celebrate the King’s birthday. The tradition continued when Queen Victoria came to the throne and three years later, in 1840, they decided to band together into a formal organisation. Its original title was “The Royal Tradesmen’s Association for the Annual Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday”. The word “Tradesmen” no longer features in the title of The Royal Warrant Holders Association – but the Victorians were proud to be tradesmen and specifically excluded the professions such as doctors and lawyers from their organisation. The original membership was 25.

Queen Victoria must have been enthusiastic about the granting of Warrants. When she became Queen, there were no more than 100 royal tradesmen. But at the height of her reign, she and her close family had granted almost 2,000 Warrants. As the number of Warrant holders increased, so did the membership of the Association. As the numbers grew, so the members became less concerned with organising a good dinner (although that still happened) and more concerned with protecting their rights and privileges as Warrant Holders.

“Policing” the use of the Royal Arms by unscrupulous businesses became a serious issue and eventually, in 1907, the present Association was incorporated by Royal Charter and empowered to litigate on behalf of The Lord Chamberlain. In that year alone the Association confronted over 300 cases of misuse – and the following year, in 1908, there were 400 cases. Although that number was never exceeded, policing the Warrant was the principal concern of the Association during the first half of the 20th century. The passing of the Trade Marks Act and the Trade Descriptions Act eventually resolved the problem when use of the Royal Arms became protected by law.

Today, the Association still performs a “policing” role, but in terms of the law it is much diminished. Its function is still to protect and promote the interests of its members and it does this largely by ensuring that The Lord Chamberlain’s Rules, which in turn govern the use of the Royal Arms, are meticulously adhered to. There is also a thriving social side to the work of the Association, which has local branches in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Sandringham and Windsor.

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
The initiative of which the Association is most proud was the establishment of a charitable trust in 1990 to mark its 150th anniversary and the 90th birthday of The Queen Mother, in whose name it was formed – The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. Its aim was, and is, to further the advancement in the UK of both modern and traditional crafts and trades. To this end, the Trust awards Scholarships to tradesmen and women to enable them to acquire new or additional skills through advanced or specialist training. Since 1991, it has awarded a total of £825,000 to 135 men and women aged between 17 and 50.

To find out more about the Association and its charitable work visit: www.rwha.co.uk or www.qest.org.uk