King Charles strips chocolate maker of royal warrant

Britain’s King Charles has stripped Cadbury of its royal warrant, meaning the iconic chocolate brand can no longer use the king’s coat of arms on its packaging or advertising.

Warrants are granted to companies that provide goods or services to the royal household. Cadbury had held its warrant for 170 years, as its chocolate was reportedly a favorite of Queen Victoria.

However, Cadbury was absent from an updated list of 386 warrant holders published by Buckingham Palace on Monday. No reason was given for the company being struck from the list, nor for the roughly 100 other firms that lost their warrants.

While Cadbury is regarded as an iconic British brand, the company has been owned by the US-based Mondelez International since 2010.

“Cadbury is a much-loved brand that has been a part of British life for generations and remains the nation’s favourite chocolate,” a spokesperson for Mondelez International told The Independent on Monday. “While 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 fully respect the decision.”

After the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, the British royal family came under pressure from pro-Kiev activists to strip warrants from companies that refused to stop selling their products in Russia. Mondelez International was one of these companies, and although some of its subsidiaries have been pulled from the list, others remain, suggesting that the decision was not linked to the conflict.