Cadbury Loses British Royal Warrant for the First Time in 170 Years

Cadbury, a chocolate company, responded with disappointment on Monday regarding the loss of its royal warrant, an honor granted to it for 170 years. The move came right after King Charles III carried out his first review of the noble list. Cadbury earned the royal warrant from Queen Victoria in 1854, and the distinction had seen over a century pass. She was known to enjoy their products.

Companies receiving a royal warrant, granted for five years, are those which have supplied goods or services to the British royal family. It gives the privilege to utilize the royal arms on its products, packaging, advertisement, etc., as a sign of quality to the consumers. However, the list doesn’t automatically remove a company if it is no longer trading or hasn’t applied.

Mondelez International is the parent company of Cadbury, and it is one of the companies the B4Ukraine campaign group targeted by calling for its removal from operating in Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The group targeted other brands, including Bacardi, Nestle, and Unilever. However, the British monarchy is not known to comment on the reasons behind granting or removing royal warrants.

The representative from Cadbury said, “While disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK to not have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision.” It underlined the long presence of the company in the life of Britain, stating it as “the nation’s favourite chocolate”.

The Unilever group, which also has royal warrants, boasts of a long history of association with the British royal family and respects the discretion of the royal household in awarding the warrants.