King Charles is officially parting ways with an iconic candy brand that has some disappointed with the move.
Prince William has been taking charge of some public duties for King Charles while the King works behind the scenes on different projects, including issuing and nonrenewing official royal warrants.
Companies that provide goods and services to the royal household are issued royal warrants, and the royal warrants website confirms that over 800 warrant holders exist.
These warrants are officially called the Royal Warrant of Appointment, and companies holding them can display them at their places of business as a sign of recognition that they also sell to the monarchy.
The reigning monarch can renew or not renew these warrants; in this case, King Charles has the final say.
King Charles has formally removed the candy manufacturer Cadbury from the list of royal warrants, which they had been on for 170 years.
King Charles has decided not to renew the royal warrant for Cadbury
Cadbury was founded in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1824 and is a household name. Everyone has eaten or knows what a Cadbury Egg is in the United States.
The company, founded by John Cadbury, was sold to Kraft, which spun Cadbury off to Mondelez International in 2010.
A group named B4Ukraine petitioned the King not to renew company warrants in Russia. The group claimed to have written to the King and urged him to cease doing business with CadburyUK and revoke their warrants.
While the group claimed they petitioned King Charles to revoke warrants, it is royal protocol not to issue explanations in these situations, so any reasons why are simply speculations.
The BBC reports that a Mondelez International spokesperson said, “Whilst we are 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.”
Professor David Bailey called these warrants a “kind of seal of approval. ” King Charles’s not renewing them is a royal snub.
It will be interesting to see what chocolate companies will supply the royal households in the future.
Royal Family Christmas card updates
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared a photo montage of their year in a holiday card. This card featured a rare photo of Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
King Charles and Queen Camilla shared a simple holiday card on Instagram with the caption, “Christmas is coming.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a photo of their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Prince William and Kate captioned their photo, “Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas.”