All the King's Men

A customer walked into London's famed Burberrys clothing shop one day last week and asked a clerk: "Let's see one of those waterproof tweed topcoats of yours. You know--like the King wears." Thus another sale was made by the sign of the Royal Warrant over the door: a red, gold, silver and blue Royal Coat of Arms, with the magic advertising legend, 'By Appointment Makers of Weatherproof Clothing to H.M. the King."

Ever since the days of Queen Victoria, British monarchs have granted Warrants to tradesmen who supply the royal household with everything from the Scotch in the royal highball to the topper on the royal head. To Britons the list is considered a Who's Who in International Trade, the ultimate stamp of approval.

On the List. This year's new list of Royal Warrants has 1,035 names, including such old ones as Dunhill, Cadbury cocoa and Steinway & Sons pianos and such new ones as Quaker Oats, Kayser hosiery and the West Norfolk Farmers' Manure and Chemical Cooperative.

To get a Royal Warrant, a firm must supply the kingly household with goods or services for three years, must be approved by the appropriate official in the King's retinue (e.g., automobiles come under the eye of the Superintendent of the Royal Mews/-). Warrants are issued in the name of one individual in a firm, may be canceled if he dies, if the firm goes bankrupt or becomes involved in a scandal, or if the King switches to another brand.

The King's tradesmen are represented by the Royal Warrant Holders' Association, which has offices in the shadow of Buckingham Palace, is headed by Sir Frederick Wells, purveyor of disinfectant to the Master of the Household. The association keeps close tabs on all Warrants, takes action against any firm that displays the royal seal without authority. The only U.S. firm with a Royal Warrant is Manhattan Fine Art Dealer Frank Partridge. (Other U.S. names on the Warrant list are British subsidiaries of U.S. companies.)

In the Family. By permission of the King, members of his family may also issue Warrants; 164 firms hold Warrants from Queen Mary, 61 from the Duke of Windsor, issued when he was Prince of Wales. The Duke's Warrant to an aircraft firm, the De Havilland Aircraft Co., was the industry's first & last; no member of the royal family since then has had a private plane.

What is the advertising value of a Royal Warrant? No British merchant has ever measured it in pounds, shillings and pence, but most would agree with the Warrant-holder who said last week: "I would rather see my firm in fine print again on that list of Warrants next January than receive a peerage in the New Year's Honors List."

/- Rolls-Royce, although among the royalty of British cars, holds no Warrant. Daimler does.

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