It was the sweet-toothed love affair between the Royal family and one of Britain’s most adored chocolatiers.
But after surviving 170 years and the reign of six monarchs, confectionery giant Cadbury‘s link to British royalty appears to have lost its sugary appeal.
The chocolate juggernaut based in Bourneville, Birmingham, was among 100 companies to lose out on an official endorsement from ‘The Firm’, after being stripped of its Royal Warrant status.
King Charles ripped away its globally-recognised mark of excellence after choosing not to renew it.
It comes after the company’s recent takeover by an American snack giant led to claims Cadbury had ‘betrayed its heritage’, by introducing bizarre new recipes and shrinking bars – while outsourcing its chocolate production abroad.
Queen Victoria first awarded Cadbury its Royal Warrant in 1854 – which was then repeated by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1955, who was a massive fan of the brand.
She loved Cadbury’s Bournville chocolate so much, she is believed to have received boxes of it each Christmas.
Yet it is understood the supply of Cadbury products to royal households has slumped in recent years.
King Charles and Queen Camilla – pictured together at the launch of the Coronation Food Project in Didcot, Oxfordshire last month – have issued new Royal Warrants to favoured firms
Chocolate manufacturer Cadbury is one of the companies to have lost their Royal Warrant in the latest list – the firm previously produced a Dairy Milk bar for Charles’ coronation in 2023
King Charles – seen here at the House of Dorchester chocolate factory in Poundbury, Dorset, in November 2015 – has been described as a fitness enthusiast who follows a healthy diet
The King is also known for his healthy eating, preferring a piece of fruit or fibre-rich seeds over a bar of chocolate, seemingly denting its appeal further in the Palace.
As is protocol, the brands losing their Royal Warrant status were informed by letter and not given a reason why.
Other chocolate companies like Nestle, which owns Milkybar, and Smarties as well as Bendicks and Prestat have all retained their titles.
Also missing out this time is consumer goods multinational Unilever, whose products include the likes of Marmite, Magnum ice cream bars and Pot Noodle.
But operations favoured by Charles’s wife Queen Camilla are among the latest beneficiaries of the royal household’s stamp of approval.
Her long-standing hairdresser Jo Hansford’s salon in Mayfair, central London, is among almost 400 businesses in the latest batch of Royal Warrants of Appointment. Also recognised is Wartski jewellers, also based in the capital and which made the King and Queen’s wedding rings for their marriage in April 2005.
The King’s list includes 386 companies previously holding warrants bestowed by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and which he has decided to keep on. These range from the official ‘suppliers of Martini Vermouth’, Bacardi-Martini, to Command Pest Control Ltd, Dunelm for soft furnishings, Foodspeed for milk, Kellogg’s for cereals, florist Lottie Longman, and McIlhenny as the official supplier of Tabasco hot sauce.
Being awarded a Royal Warrant is considered a huge advantage for British firms both in the UK and abroad – and losing the stamp of approval has left Cadbury’s owners ‘disappointed’, the firm admitted.
From its humble beginnings as a small grocer’s shop in Birmingham, Cadbury has been delighting the nation’s taste buds for two centuries – while its adverts, including one featuring gorilla drumming to Phil Collins’ hit In The Air Tonight, have become cult British hits.
This year saw the beloved brand behind the likes of Dairy Milk, Flake and Heroes, celebrating its 200th birthday.
The confectionery behemoth was founded by the nation’s very own ‘Willy Wonka’, John Cadbury, in 1824 in Bull Street.
Among the array of goods sold at the grocer’s shop, John introduced hand-made drinking chocolate which laid the foundation for the brand today.
Cadbury famously produced an advert which proved one of the most popular ever. It featured a gorilla playing the drums to Phil Collins’ bombastic hit ‘In The Air Tonight’
The King’s latest list of Royal Warrants includes 386 companies which had previously been approved by his late mother Queen Elizabeth II (pictured) which he has decided to keep on
A bust of King Charles III was made of Celebrations chocolates in April 2023 ahead of his coronation – these products are manufactured by Cadbury’s competitor Mars
In 2018, Cadbury Dairy Milk was crowned as Britain’s favourite chocolate bar, proving the confectionery’s lasting appeal
John saw cocoa as a healthy alternative to alcohol – something as a Quaker, he was keen to encourage.
He was originally a tea dealer and coffee roaster but he also sold hops, mustard, patent cocoa and cocoa nibs.
To entice wealthy customers in, the shop was the first in Birmingham to have plate glass windows with mahogany frames which John is said to have cleaned every day.
The shop had attractive displays including Chinese vases and oriental figurines that contained black and green tea.
With a commitment to quality and innovation, Cadbury rapidly expanded, captivating Britons with its irresistible treats.
John started selling different types of cocoa and moved to a factory on Bridge Street, Birmingham in 1831.
By 1864 the company was being run by John’s sons, Richard and George, and the brothers were keen to distinguish themselves from other cocoa and chocolate manufacturers.
A purer, more luxurious drinking chocolate called Cocoa Essence was introduced by the pair in 1866.
The man behind the chocolate: John Cadbury, who founded Cadbury’s in 1824, is pictured in a black and white portrait
By 1864 the company was being run by John’s sons, Richard and George, and the brothers were keen to distinguish themselves from other cocoa and chocolate manufacturers
A purer, more luxurious drinking chocolate called Cocoa Essence was introduced in 1866
John saw cocoa as a healthy alternative to alcohol – something, as a Quaker, he was keen to encourage
This product used a new process which pressed cocoa butter from the cocoa beans, and it is this that was the forerunner of the cocoa known and loved today.
The excess cocoa butter from the press could then be used to make an early form of eating chocolate and the company went on to launch its first chocolate assortment boxes.
Richard and George soon got sick of Birmingham slums and in 1878 they moved to a rural site four miles out of the city in a place called Bournville.
Taking the name of the model village Bournville grew into a haven for staff where they could live, work and play.
Alongside semi-detached cottages with gardens for the workers, there was a field next to the factory where they could play cricket and football; a garden and playground for the girls; and proper welfare provisions.
Over the years, sports facilities grew to include hockey, tennis, squash and bowling facilities.
Eventually, swimming pools were built with everyone in Bournville taught how to swim.
Staff days out were common, and for workers living outside of Bournville, Cadbury’s negotiated reduced train fares with the local railway company. Education was made available for everyone and the company actively encouraged vocations outside of their business interest.
Taking the name of the model village Bournville grew into a haven for staff where they could live, work and play
Alongside semi-detached cottages with gardens for the workers, there was a field next to the factory where they could play cricket and football
Cadbury produced special commemorative boxes to mark key royal occasions – including the Queen’s silver jubilee celebration
But a place of virtuous living, no pub was allowed in Bournville, a rule which still applies today.
Cadbury also forged its links with the royal family, with Queen Victoria proving a huge fan.
In 1899, the Queen commissioned Cadbury alongside the UK’s two other top chocolate manufacturers, J S Fry & Sons and Rowntree and Company Limited, to produce special chocolates for British troops fighting in the Boer War.
After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, Cadbury’s introduced its iconic purple packaging in a nod to the late monarch, who adored the colour.
In 1902, Cadbury’s went on to produce a commemorative set of tins to celebrate the coronations of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
In 1955, Cadbury’s royal warrant was renewed by the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth – producing a similar coronation tin for the monarch.
And with the advent of colour television in the mid-20th century, Cadbury found itself at the vanguard of the advertising revolution.
The chocolate company came up with a series of iconic promotions for its products with some of the most rememberable being ‘A finger of Fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat’ and ‘everyone’s a Fruit and Nut case’.
Cadbury went viral in 2007 with a Dairy Milk advert that showed a life-like gorilla drumming to Phil Collins’ song In The Air Tonight.
This 45cm-tall chocolate crown was produced at Cadbury World in Birmingham ahead of King Charles’s coronation in April last year
Pictured is Jennifer Lindsey-Clarke at work making the chocolate King Charles sculpture
Pictured: Cadbury chocolatiers Donna Oluban and Dawn Jenks seen perfecting their recreation of the first store
In 2015 the advert was voted the best British ad in 60 years.
But a year later and the company faced the wrath of Cadbury’s chocolate-loving fans.
It followed the earlier takeover by American snack giant, Mondelez International which bought out Cadbury in 2010.
A string of complaints including changing the recipe of the brand’s iconic Crème Eggs, shrinking bars, bizarre new recipes, and job losses.
It led to claims that Cadbury had ‘betrayed its heritage’ after the takeover, according to a 2016 TV documentary from Dispatches series – which claimed workers had been sacked and chocolate – including Dairy Milk – was being produced in Poland.
Mondelez, then known as Kraft Foods, bought the British brand in 2010. But it was accused of a slew of ‘broken promises’.
When the buyout was announced, Kraft said it would stick to Cadbury’s commitment to using Fairtrade cocoa beans to produce its chocolate. Fairtrade rules mean that cocoa farmers earn a minimum of £1,600 per tonne of cocoa sold.
But in 2016, it confirmed it was no longer working with Fairtrade and had switched to a new cocoa production partnership known as Cocoa Life – which does not exert the same price rules.
Ruth Cadbury, a direct descendant of one of the founders, said her ancestors would be ‘spinning in their urns’ over the way Mondelez was running the business – especially paying no corporation tax in Britain in 2014 despite making £96.5m profit.
Speaking of no longer being granted a Royal Warrant, a spokesman for Mondelez International said: ‘Cadbury is a much-loved brand that has been a part of British life for generations and remains the nation’s favourite chocolate.
‘Whilst 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 we fully respect the decision.’