Chocolate company Cadbury said on Monday it was “disappointed” after it lost its royal warrant for the first time in 170 years following the first review of the prestigious list since King Charles III became monarch.
Campaign group B4Ukraine earlier this year urged the king to remove companies “still operating in Russia” following the invasion of Ukraine.
It spun off Mondelez International, which owns Cadbury as well as Bacardi, Nestle and Unilever, maker of the UK’s hate-it-or-love-it breakfast spread, Marmite.
Cadbury was one of 100 companies including Unilever missing from the new list of 386 royal warrant holders, although Bacardi and Nestlé retained their warrants.
Not all those absent from the latest list published by the Royal Warrant Holders Association were necessarily actively removed, and instead had ceased trading or had not applied.
The royal warrant is being reviewed after Charles ascends the throne in September 2022 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Warrant holders receive “the right to display the appropriate royal arms on their product, packaging, stationery, advertising, premises and vehicles”.
This is considered a guarantee of quality and may induce some customers to choose the goods or services of a particular firm.
Cadbury, which was first awarded a royal warrant by Queen Victoria in 1854, was reportedly a favorite of the late queen.
A Mondelez spokesperson said that Cadbury has been “part of British life for generations” and remains “the nation’s favorite chocolate”.
The spokesperson said: “While we are disappointed not to be granted a new warrant, being one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK, we are proud to have already been granted a warrant, and we fully respect the decision. “
A spokesperson for Unilever said it was proud of the long royal association of its brands, but that granting the warrant was “a matter for the royal household”.
Buckingham Palace does not give reasons or comment on decisions regarding royal warrants.
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