In 1904, the Maison was granted a warrant of official supplier to the court of King Edward VII of Great Britain. Cartier had arrived. When still prince of Wales, the king had described Cartier as “jeweler to kings, king of jewelers” and he would be proved right again, because his warrant was just the first in a long line. From 1904 to the present, Cartier has been awarded numerous letters patent naming it supplier to sixteen courts throughout the world, including Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Russia, not forgetting Siam and Egypt.
A royal warrant consists of an official letter issued by the monarch’s household, announcing Cartier’s addition to the list of authorized suppliers. In exchange, the supplier displays this letter in the salesroom and may place the arms of the ruling family on the outer façade of its premises. A warrant may be renewed on various occasions.
CHRONOLOGY
1904
GREAT BRITAIN (March 1904)
Warrant granted by King Edward VII of Great Britain.
SPAIN (October 1904)
Warrant granted by King Alfonso XIII of Spain.
1905
GREAT BRITAIN (January 1905)
Warrant granted by Queen Alexandra of Great Britain (renewed in 1911 after the death of her husband, King Edward VII).
PORTUGAL (April 1905)
Warrant granted by King Carlos I of Portugal.
1907
RUSSIA (August 1907)
Warrant granted by Czar Nicolas II.
SIAM (now THAILAND) (December 1907)
Warrant granted by King Chulalongkorn Rama V of Siam (renewed the following year).
1909
GREECE (December 1909)
Warrant granted by King George I of Greece.
1913
SERBIA (September 1913)
Warrant granted by King Peter I of Serbia.
SWEDEN
Warrant granted by King Gustav V of Sweden. Although there is no trace of this warrant in the Cartier archives, Hans Nadelhoffer referred to it in his authoritative book on Cartier.
1914
HOUSE OF ORLÉANS (July 1914)
Warrant granted by the duc d’Orléans.
1919
BELGIUM (July 1919)
Warrant granted by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians.
1920
ITALY (February 1920)
Warrant granted by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.
MONACO (November 1920)
Warrant granted by the sovereign prince of Monaco, Albert I.
1921
GREAT BRITAIN (June 1921)
Warrant granted by Edward, prince of Wales.
1928
ROMANIA (May 1928)
Warrant granted by Queen Marie of Romania.
1929
EGYPT (March 1929)
Warrant granted King Fuad I of Egypt.
1936
MONACO (September 1936)
Warrant granted by the sovereign prince of Monaco, Louis II.
ANNAM (now VIETNAM) (September 1936)
Warrant granted by Nam Phuong, empress of Annam.
1939
ALBANIA (February 1939)
Warrant granted by Zog I, king of the Albanians.
1940
GREAT BRITAIN (July 1940)
Warrant granted by King George VI of Great Britain (renewed the following year).
1949
MONACO (July 1949)
Warrant granted by the sovereign prince of Monaco, Rainier III.
1955
GREAT BRITAIN
Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
1960
GREAT BRITAIN
Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
1994
GREAT BRITAIN
Warrant granted by Charles, prince of Wales (renewed in 1997 and 2017).
2011
MONACO (March 2011)
Warrant granted by the sovereign prince of Monaco, Albert II.
LIST BY COUNTRY (in chronological order by date of earliest warrant)
GREAT BRITAIN - 1904
SPAIN - 1904
PORTUGAL - 1905
RUSSIA - 1907
SIAM (THAILAND) - 1907
GREECE - 1909
SERBIA - 1913
SWEDEN - 1913
ORLÉANS (House of) - 1914
BELGIUM - 1919
ITALY - 1920
MONACO - 1920
ROMANIA - 1928
EGYPT - 1929
ANNAM (VIETNAM) - 1936
ALBANIA - 1939