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, and
Japan 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:
The Royal House of
Bunyoro-Kitara awards royal warrants to businesses that deliver goods and services to the royal house on a regular basis. The royal warrant can be awarded by a grantor, either the King, the Queen or the Crown Prince. The Board of the Royal Warrant Holder Society advises the Grantors but each Grantor makes the final decision to grant a Warrant. A business may only receive one Warrant from a Grantor. The warrants of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom are valid for one year.[7]
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.[9]