A royal nomination mandate refers to a document that is issued to merchants and suppliers who provide goods and services to the king or someone who is a member of the royal family. Having the mandate, the supplier is authorized to advertise which supply to the fee thereby raising the demand. The practice exists for most countries in the world that still have monarchs. These nations include the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Denmark, Monaco, Sweden and others. A real mandate is a powerful marketing tool that any trader would like to have. As a point of clarification, the mandate does not imply that the goods are free. Suppliers charge, mostly in an exorbitant way, their goods and services.
History of the Royal Warrants
Medieval Europe can be considered the place where this practice began when they used royal patronage. However, those who work with art are the only people who receive the documents. The patronages were replaced by charters in 12 th century. The first Royal Warrant of Appointment known was released later in the 15 th century, thus replacing the Royal Charter. Among the first recipients of a Royal Warrant is the historically famous printer known as William Caxton. King Charles II of England was among the first monarchs to issue a mandate.
Royal Warrant in the United Kingdom
In the case of the United Kingdom, these mandates are issued by three senior members of the British royal family. The three senior members of the royal family who can grant it are the queen, her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and their son, the Prince of Wales. Generally, a British royal mandate begins with the phrase “From Appointment to …” and then the details of the supplier, including the goods and / or services provided. These mandates are given only to traders who deal with crafts such as carpenters, engravers and other trades. Companies that can be classified as entertainment or refreshment cannot receive the mandate. At present, there are more than 1,100 issued warrants in the UK for around 850 people and companies. Some of them are not based in the United Kingdom.
The mandate is a symbol of mutual satisfaction between the grantor and the person or company that receives the mandate. For a company or an individual to benefit from the mandate, they must have provided goods and / or services to the royal family for a minimum period of five years. After that, the warrant application goes through different channels like the Royal Household Warrant Committee (led by Lord Chamberlain) for consideration and approval. After that, it must be signed by one of the three grantors if they wish. The approval by the committee does not guarantee that the grantor will sign the mandate. Ultimately, the problem is personal.
Another point of clarification is that the grantor does not necessarily need to use the goods alone. A warrant can be given even if the grantor does not use a product, such as the cigarette warrant that was stopped in 1999. The cigarettes were given to the court for real guests. There are some sponsors who have renewed the documents for over 100 years.
