Fortnum's Royal Warrants
We often talk about Royal Warrants here at Fortnum’s, but what that actually means is a little less widely known. Here’s everything you’ve ever wondered about Royal Warrants at Fortnum’s and beyond...
In 2024, Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla granted the first Royal Warrants of Appointment of their reign, and we are incredibly proud to have been awarded two warrants for the second time in our history. Holding two warrants at once is a tremendous honour and something very few experience; Fortnum’s was one of just seven businesses to be issued a warrant from both The King and The Queen, and we are incredibly grateful to The Royal Warrant Holders Association for their continued support throughout the application process. Both of Fortnum’s warrants are a testament to the incredible passion and dedication of our teams in building a socially responsible business for the world of today and tomorrow.
"This is an exceptionally proud moment in our history. Fortnum & Mason strives for exceptional quality and excellence in everything we do, so we are overjoyed to have been recognised by His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen, by the granting of these two Royal Warrants."
Kate Hobhouse, Chair of Fortnum & Mason
Fortnum’s has enjoyed a close relationship with His Majesty The King while Prince of Wales - he would often visit our Piccadilly store to champion Welsh produce and in 1996, he granted us a Royal Warrant. But we are particularly proud of the fact he chose Fortnum’s as his partner in developing and launching a range of products from The Highgrove Estate in 1996, which continues to this day.
We are equally honoured to have worked with Her Majesty The Queen on numerous occasions while Duchess of Cornwall. Queen Camilla is a passionate beekeeper and we’ve been fortunate to stock honey gathered from hives in her private Wiltshire gardens, with all proceeds going to a charity of her choosing. In 2012 she also accompanied Queen Elizabeth II to Fortnum’s Piccadilly to formally open The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, alongside the then Duchess of Cambridge.
Fortnum’s Grocers and Tea Merchants
Fortnum’s has supplied fresh produce to The Royal Household for many years and are thrilled to receive warrants for our services as Grocers and Tea Merchants from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. From non-homogenised organic jersey milk produced by dairy farmers in the heart of Somerset to preserves made with handpicked rose petals grown in Oxfordshire, our teams are extremely passionate about sourcing and supporting the best British growers, farmers and artisanal producers, so to be recognised in this way is an incredible honour and testament to the dedication of our teams.
Royal Warrants: Then and Now
Royal patronage of tradespeople can be traced back to medieval times, but it wasn’t until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert that the process of granting of warrants truly began to gain momentum. Our first Royal Warrant was granted in 1898 by Queen Victoria, highlighting Fortnum’s services as ‘Oilmen’ to The Royal Household, and excluding a brief hiatus under King George VI due to post-war rationing we are proud to have held Royal Warrants from every monarch since.
The types of goods and services to be granted royal patronage has evolved through time with the emergence and decline of different industries visible through each passing era, giving a fascinating insight into life in Britain at a given point in time.
King Charles III: Ahead of His Time
Since the 1990s, HM The King as Prince of Wales has used his influence to champion organisations with exemplary ethical and environmental standards, something he is known to be extremely passionate about. This felt really quite revolutionary in the 1990s and early 2000s when environmental concerns were less intertwined with wider culture. Today The King continues to set an example through his patronage by only favouring socially and sustainably responsible organisations, and in doing so he helps to encourage positive change in all areas of British life and business today.
A Collective Future
Regardless of the goods or services they provide, Royal Warrant holders share a commitment to community and seek to lay the foundation for future generations through their operations today. From our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and waste, increase circular packaging and products, and Fortnum’s long-standing relationship with London food-waste charity The Felix Project, we're continually working to identify ways to reduce our impact on the environment and build a socially responsible business that will still be here in another 300 years. One area we are particularly passionate about is the welfare of workers, farmers, growers and crafters across every level of our supply chain, and ethical sourcing is the guiding principle for all areas of Fortnum’s business, from food to home.
Although sustainability has, for many years, been an important part of the application and review process, the warrant itself is not an environmental award or a green ‘badge’ of excellence. Securing royal patronage does, however, involve a rigorous and demanding review process over a number of years and a business must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the highest environmental standards to be eligible for a warrant.
The Making of Our New Royal Warrants
In celebration of these Royal Warrants, we’ve refreshed the Royal Coats of Arms across all our stores - and they’re a beautiful blend of time-honoured craft and modern sustainable techniques. The Coats of Arms that now adorns our Piccadilly façade were created in the north of England by heraldic artist Colin Mullins, whose family has been at this noble craft since the 1740s (or at least as far back as the records dare to go). Founder of Mullins Studio, Colin specialises in conserving and restoring historic metalwork and heraldic art, with a résumé boasting prestigious projects for Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament. Each piece weighs a sturdy 35-40 kg and is hand-sculpted, 3D-scanned, and printed using a bio-based polymer made from castor bean oil. They’re then dressed in seven coats of plant-based paint and finished with gold and platinum leaf, applied using low-waste techniques that honour centuries of tradition while keeping unnecessary excess at bay.
Royal Warrants: At a Glance
Q: What actually is a Royal Warrant?
A: The warrant itself is a physical document which legally entitles a business to display The Royal Coat of Arms in their store and on their brand materials. In the simplest terms, Royal Warrants can be thought of as a formal acknowledgement or 'seal of approval' from The Royal Family.
Q: How long do they last?
A: Royal Warrants are valid for up to five years and are not automatically transferred from one monarch’s reign to the next; for example, all of Queen Elizabeth II’s warrants were put on hold following her death in 2022 and holders were invited to re-apply under King Charles III’s reign. All existing Royal Warrant Holders are invited to re-apply two years before their current warrant runs out, highlighting just how in-depth the process of applying for a Royal Warrant really is and the amount of work involved.
Q: Can any businesses apply for one?
A: Continuing its legacy of championing tradespeople, Royal Warrants can only be applied to a business specialising in goods or services and it must have supplied The Royal Household for at least five years, with all goods paid for by The Royal Household.
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