Harrods no longer 'Royal'

Workers remove Royal warrants from Harrods on Wednesday

LONDON, England -- Royal warrants have been removed from the front of Harrods, ending a 62-year tradition with the upmarket store.

Warrants for supplying the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Mother and the Prince of Wales were taken down from the outside of the building in Knightsbridge, central London, on Wednesday and also removed from Harrods' vans.

The badges, which show that members of the Royal family shop at the store, have been displayed on the facade since 1938, when the Queen Mother first gave her approval.

The warrant bearing Prince Philip's name was due to be taken down as a result this week.

But Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed chose to completely sever the store's commercial links to the monarchy by taking down all the warrants.

Earlier this year Al Fayed was told that the Duke of Edinburgh did not wish to renew his warrant, which was up for review. But now Al Fayed has taken down the remaining three, even though they do not expire for another year.

The Harrods chief wrote to Buckingham Palace in July saying he would not apply for the other three warrants to be renewed when they came up for review.

The three Royal warrants hanging on the front of Harrods before work began

Al Fayed said at the time: "Since neither the Queen, nor Prince Charles have shopped in Harrods for several years, displaying the Royal Crescent would be totally misleading and hypocritical."

The Queen Mother's Royal Warrant has no expiry date but has also been taken down.

All Harrods' packaging and stationery has been redesigned to exclude the Royal Warrants and all vehicles that displayed the warrants have been repainted.

Al Fayed has made a series of allegations about the circumstances surrounding the death of his son, Dodi, and Diana, Princess of Wales, in August 1997.

A spokesman for Harrods said on Wednesday Al Fayed would be making no further comment on the matter.

The first Royal Warrant was awarded in 1938 by the Queen Mother for china, glass and fancy goods.

Then in 1955 the Queen awarded a warrant for Harrods to supply provisions and household goods.

The Duke of Edinburgh followed the trend a year later, awarding a warrant for Harrods to be his outfitters.

In 1980 and 1985 the Prince of Wales chose Harrods as his outfitters and saddlers.

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