Cadbury loses royal warrant under King Charles III

Chocolate firm Cadbury said on Monday it was "disappointed" after losing its royal warrant for the first time in 170 years following King Charles III's first review of the coveted list since becoming monarch.

Campaign group B4Ukraine earlier this year urged the king to remove companies "still operating in Russia" following its invasion of Ukraine.

It singled out Mondelez International, which owns Cadbury, Bacardi, Nestle, and Unilever. Mondelez International is also the maker of the UK's hate-it-or-love-it breakfast spread, Marmite.

Cadbury was among 100 firms, including Unilever, absent from a new list of 386 royal warrant holders, although Bacardi and Nestle retained their warrants.

A photograph taken on December 23, 2024 shows packets of Cadbury's Buttons chocolates on sale in a supermarket near Liverpool, in north west England. Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP

Not all those absent from the latest list published by the Royal Warrant Holders Association were necessarily actively removed; instead, they may have ceased trading or not applied.

The review of royal warrants follows Charles' accession to 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 products, packaging, stationery, advertising, premises, and vehicles."

It is regarded as a quality guarantee and can sway some customers to choose a particular firm's goods or services.

Cadbury, first awarded a royal warrant by Queen Victoria in 1854, was reportedly a favorite of the late queen.

A photograph taken on December 23, 2024 shows a boxes of Cadbury's Heroes chocolates in Liverpool, in north west England. Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP

A Mondelez spokesperson said Cadbury had been "a part of British life for generations" and remained the "nation's favorite chocolate."

"Whilst we are disappointed to be one of hundreds of other businesses and brands in the UK not to have a new warrant awarded, we are proud to have previously held one, and we fully respect the decision," the spokesperson added.

A Unilever spokesperson said the company was proud of its brands' extended royal association but that the granting of warrants was "a matter for the royal household."

Buckingham Palace does not give reasons or comment on decisions about royal warrants.