They Cater For Royalty

Press, Volume C, Issue 29473, 27 March 1961, Page 22

They Cater For Royalty

[B« ARTHUR NETTLETON] Think of almost any commodity or service you may require, and the chances are that somewhere in Britain or overseas there is a firm or an individual holding a contract to do the same for a member of Britain’s Royal Family,

Apart from such obvious services as supplying foodstuffs to the Royal residences, scores of singular ones are listed in the Lord Chamberlain's records of Royal suppliers. Holders of Royal warrants include a supplier of potted shrimps. several button makers, tent manufacturers, a Christmas cracker firm, kitchen waste removers, a safe maker, and a picture restorer. A Norfolk thatcher has Royal patronage, a chimney sweep numbers the Queen among his clients, and a kipper curer in the Isle of Man has Royalty as customers. Over the years, similar appointments have gone to French winemakers, an Indian shawl maker, and a Dublin firm dealing in Irish linen. Privilege From time to time a list of additions to the Royal Warrant Holders is issued, and inclusion is one of the most prized and most sought honours. It is. however, a privilege which no amount of high-pressure salesmanship or string-pulling will secure. Such contracts are granted only to persons and concerns of the highest integrity, and are arranged only after a probationary period of high-standard service. Moreover, the Royal Warrant is reviewed every 10 years and is renewed only if the service has been faultless. The holder is entitled to display the arms of his Royal customer on his premises, and may reproduce the same crest on his goods together with the words "By Appointment to . , ~” but other forms of advertising Royal patronage are barred. A fairground proprietor who once put up a Royal coat-of-arms, after the young Duke of Kent had spent some pocket-money at a coconut stall, had to remove it—or become liable to a £2O fine. Contract for Muffins

Yet some Royal Warrants have been issued largely by accident. A contract to supply muffins to Buckingham Palace twice weekly was issued after a member of the Royal Family had enjoyed eating them during the interval at a London theatre.

A maker of confections got his contract because a young Prince asked for them as a reward for school lessons well learned. The supplier of potted shrimps to the Royal Household, a Lancashire concern, was appointed after Queen Mary had enjoyed eating shrimps for tea. Altogether more than 1000 Royal Warrants are in force today, some 400 of them concerning the Queen's households and the rest being appointments to other members of the Royal Family. Overseas holders are comparatively few, but a Sydney firm of goldsmiths and silversmiths have the honour, and a New York firm of fine art dealers are among those which have been granted a Royal contract. The size of a firm is no guarantee that it will be eligible. A considerable number of small family concerns —and even one-man businesses—are on the Lord Chamberlain’s list. Personal Contract

The “By Royal Appointment” sign hangs proudly outside a bicycle shop near Balmoral Castle, and a family of thatchers near Sandringham. who have been thatching roofs on the Queen’s Norfolk estate for many years, are entitled to display the same coveted sign. In practice. Royal Warrants are personal contracts and are issued in the name of one member of the firm concerned. They are not transferable, and lapse if the named holder dies or retires.

They become void, too, on the death of the Royal customer, though this rule is not stringently observed and there are in force today a number of warrants issued in Queen Victoria’s time. They have been re-issued at inter-

vals for sentimental reason*, or because the services covered may yet prove helpful to the Royal households. Bankruptcy and liquidation are other contingencies which cause these contracts to be rescinded Again, nobody can acquire one by taking over a firm already holding a warrant—it is automatically cancelled, in such circumstances, but may be renewed later. Copyright Advertising that a Royal Warrant is held, other than in clearly-defined ways, may also cause the cancellation of the contract, and it may be withdrawn simply because the service is not being patronised enough. Thus, if the orders received by a tobacconist dwindle to a few boxes of cigarettes a year, it is not considered worth-while to keep the warrant in force.

As a further safeguard against unauthorised use of Royal patronage, the Royal coat-of-arms which official suppliers may use is copyright all over the world. The extent to which Royal contracts are treasured is shown by the fact that the holders have an organisation of their own to prevent abuse of the privilege. The Royal Warrant Holders' Association has existed for more than a century, and it jealously upholds and protects the high standard • of service which catering for Royalty requires.—All Rights Reserved.)