Samsung gets the Queen’s seal of approval…quite literally

“Royal warrants are granted to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services for a minimum of five consecutive years to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh or The Prince of Wales,” according to the British Monarchy’s official website.

Since the Middle Ages, tradesmen who have supplied goods and services to the Royal Family have received formal recognition, whether it be a haberdasher of hats, a watchmaker or, in more recent times, dry cleaners and computer software. Such royal warrants give the holder the right to place a coat of arms or heraldic badge on company holdings for the next five years.

Now, Samsung Electronics has confirmed that it has been awarded the Queen Royal Warrant, which it says is the first ever for a AV/TV product manufacturer.

The South Korean firm became the first official provider of TVs to the royal family way back in 2006, and it seems that Samsung has been working pretty hard to get in the Queen’s good books. Indeed, up until 2011, Samsung provided around 100 premium TVs and AV devices to the royal family, including 24-hour maintenance by a “royal family service team,” and it also sponsored a charity cricket event held by the royal family.

The three members of the Royal Family can only grant one warrant to any individual business, though a business may hold warrants from more than one member of the Royal Family. For Samsung to get the Queen’s warrant is, I guess, something to be proud of.

So what does all this mean for Samsung? Well, it plans to brand its Surrey-based UK headquarters, and its stores, with the Queen’s coat of arms. Furthermore, product catalogs, the UK homepage, and other official notices will also be branded with the royal emblem.