King Charles first visited Champagne Laurent-Perrier with Lord Mountbatten in 1979, and he has always been a fan of the brand. He had previously awarded the Royal Warrant to Laurent-Perrier as Prince of Wales, but he has now bestowed the honour upon the family-run business as His Majesty the King.
Alexandra and Stéphanie de Nonancourt, family owners of Champagne Laurent-Perrier, said: ‘We are deeply honoured to be granted the Royal Warrant from His Majesty the King. This accolade reaffirms our longstanding relationship with His Majesty.’
During Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, three members of the Royal Family were able to grant Royal Warrants: Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.
King Charles granted 172 warrants when he was Prince of Wales. Holders that wished to obtain a warrant from him as king had to reapply, and he has been reassessing them this month.
He has now announced that 145 businesses have retained their warrants, including Champagne Laurent-Perrier.
Queen Camilla is now permitted to issue Royal Warrants too. She made seven selections, including Camel Valley, an English wine producer in Cornwall.
Bob Lindo, who founded Camel Valley with his wife Annie, said: ‘Her Majesty has taken a keen interest in the development of English wines and as president of Wine GB, which represents the industry, she has been a terrific source of encouragement and enthusiasm. To now have been appointed as one of her first Royal Warrant holders is very special.’
More than 800 companies held Royal Warrants during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and she issued 578 of them.
Those warrants technically became void when she died, and many companies were asked to reapply after King Charles was crowned in September 2022.
He has been reviewing the warrants, and some companies have fallen short of his exacting standards.
For example, Queen Elizabeth’s favourite village butcher, HM Sheridan, has been stripped of one of its warrants. Co-owner John Sinclair believes it may be because his beef is not organic.
The Royal Warrant allows the holder to display the Royal Arms on its packaging, which lends prestige to the brand. Helen Brocklebank, chief executive of Walpole, an association of British luxury brands, describes the warrant as ‘absolute gold dust’.
Many illustrious drinks brands bear the Royal Arms, including Bollinger, Pol Roger, Mumm, Krug, Lanson, Roederer, Moët, Veuve Clicquot, Dubonnet, Harveys sherry, Dewar’s, Laphroaig and Justerini & Brooks.
