Warrant holders also include multinational food brands such as Coca-Cola, Heinz, Kellogg’s and Nestlé. British fashion label Burberry and luxury carmaker Bentley also enjoy royal favour, along with a broad swath of smaller businesses such as butchers, tailors, a chimney sweep, and producers of umbrellas, candles and horse bedding.

In the UK, warrants raise the profile of holders and confer bragging rights, although publicising them is restricted. In a study last year, brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance said the warrants would deliver £212 million ($411 million) in economic benefits for the financial year based on the estimated commercial value that holders collectively place on having them.

“Royal warrant holders benefit from the strong brand equity associated with the royal family,” managing director Richard Haigh said by email. “This establishes greater awareness and prestige, and grants them access to markets and consumers they may not otherwise reach.”

The champagne makers comprise a third of all the producers of alcoholic drinks on the list, dwarfing makers of gin, port and beer and even outnumbering the five Scottish whiskies: Famous Grouse, John Dewar & Sons, Johnnie Walker, Laphroaig and Royal Lochnagar.

Queen Victoria

The choices reflect what is served during official functions and the tastes of the late Queen, who was reported to drink a glass of champagne every evening. In 2021, she granted a royal warrant to Dubonnet, which when mixed with gin and lemon was reputed to be her and the Queen Mother’s favourite cocktail.

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Since Queen Victoria brought champagne to the royal court, some of the French houses have knit close ties with the UK, which would make any loss of a warrant particularly disappointing. Overall, the UK was the sector’s largest export market in 2022 after the US.

Bollinger has been James Bond’s favourite bubbly since the 1979 movie Moonraker thanks to an agreement between the family owning the vineyard and the one with the film rights. This has helped make the UK its biggest foreign market.

In the case of Pol Roger, Churchill struck up a friendship with family member Odette Pol-Roger at a postwar lunch in Paris and named one of his racehorses after the brand. The champagne house created its premium Churchill cuvee in 1975.

King Charles first granted Laurent-Perrier a warrant in 1998. He had visited the vineyard as a young prince in 1979 and was given the right to give out the distinctions in 1980.

The application process for renewal is long and complex, requiring all kinds of business details with a particular focus on sustainable agriculture, waste management, worker protection and supply chains, according to representatives of champagne makers who asked not to be identified out of fear of harming their chances.

The King has long been a supporter of sustainable farming and some of the champagne brands holding warrants, including Louis Roederer, display the designation prominently on their websites.