7 Brands The Royals Buy That You Can Afford Too
Elizabeth is a lover of corgi dogs, and socks from Corgi are available with a pattern of the pups for $35
Photo Credit : Max Mumby/Indigo | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Even if you aren't one of the lucky few invited to the wedding of Britain's Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle, there are still ways to feel like a member of the royal family.
Britain's monarchs are highly selective about the brands they shop and issue businesses preferred by the family an official seal, called a royal warrant. There are only around 800 outfits holding royal warrants today.
"Royal warrants, which have been issued by the British royal family since the 15th century, are a mark of distinction for companies who have provided goods and services for at least five years to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip or Prince Charles," The New York Times explains.
While the list includes luxury jewellers, custom hat makers and Bentley Motors, not all of the Royals' favourite businesses cater to only the wealthy. Here are seven affordable gifts, splurges and treats sold by companies stamped with the Royals' approval.
1. Luxury socks
Corgi Hosiery has been making socks since 1892 and was awarded a royal warrant in 1989 by Prince Charles. Queen Elizabeth II and her son Charles are both fans of the brand, where socks range from $22 to $209 (for pure cashmere). In 2014, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge William and Kate were photographed with their son, Prince George, in a Corgi jumper.
Elizabeth is a lover of corgi dogs, and socks from Corgi are available with a pattern of the pups for $35.
2. A stylish umbrella
A favourite of Queen Elizabeth II, A. Fulton Company set up shop in London in 1956. The queen is frequently seen carrying the company's "bird cage" clear umbrellas. An umbrella in that style with red trim costs £20.00, about $27.
The queen's umbrellas are often bespoke and made to match her outfits, according to the company's website.
3. Tea-time treats
Fortnum & Mason, founded in 1707, has served 12 different monarchs under royal warrants, the Times reports. The store, which is known for inventing the Scotch egg (a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and coated in breadcrumbs) boasts warrants from both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles and today sells 181 varieties of tea.
Many choices are affordable, like the "Regal Breakfast Gift Box" for £20.00, or about $27. It includes strawberry preserves and Sir Nigel's Vintage Marmalade — a jam first made in 1920. The box also has Fortnum & Mason's Royal Blend Tea, created in 1902 for King Edward VII.
4. Books
Hatchards is London's oldest bookstore: It first opened its doors in 1797. Britain's Queen Charlotte, who married King George III in 1761, was one of the shop's first customers, according to Hatchards, and the bookseller today holds three royal warrants.
If you can't travel to London to visit Hatchard's five floors of books, the store provides a tailored subscription service, where a store expert selects a title for you every month. A paperback subscription for fiction books is £150, about $204, for a year's worth of titles sent to your door.
5. Chocolates and truffles
Since 1902, Prestat has been handcrafting sweet treats like ginger hunks, chocolate thins and truffles in their shop — famously rumoured to be the inspiration for the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Prestat was awarded a royal warrant in 1975, serving as "Purveyors of Chocolates to Her Majesty The Queen," according to the company's website. For under $20 you can get a box of red velvet flavoured truffles (£13.95; around $19), for example.
6. Speciality cheese
Paxton & Whitfield, an artisan cheese shop opened in 1797, was first granted a warrant as "cheesemonger to the Royal Household" in 1850, according to the Times. A sampler of four English kinds of cheese in the store's "Territorials" set includes Cheshire Appleby, Stilton, Lancashire Kirkham and Westcombe Cheddar for £28.00, or about $38.
7. Begonia & delphinium seeds
Blackmore & Langdon's has been breeding begonias and delphiniums — brightly coloured flowers with full blooms in yellow, orange, pink and blue — since 1901. The company recently received their royal warrant from Prince Charles, a nature lover and gardening enthusiast, and announced plans to name a new delphinium for young Prince George.
You can order the company's begonia seeds for £7.00 (about $9.50) and its delphinium seeds for £5.00 ($6.80).
This article originally appeared on : CNBC
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