The late Queen's favourite local butcher has shared his disappointment after losing one of his royal warrants.
John Sinclair is the co-owner of HM Sheridan, a butcher's shop that has been supplying Balmoral Castle and the neighbouring royal estate Birkhall with meat and poultry since 1987.
The shop had previously been granted warrants by both the late Queen Elizabeth and Charles, back when he was still the Prince of Wales. But the butcher has been left "disappointed" after being unsuccessful when applying for the new King's Warrant.
The decision was made during a review into the Royal Warrants granted by the King before he became monarch. A warrant is initially granted for up to five years to a named individual at a company.
It is used as a mark of recognition for suppliers of goods and services to the royals and allows companies to advertise that they supply the Royal Family.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Mr Sinclair, whose shop in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, received an order from Balmoral just days before Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, said: 'We're disappointed that we no longer have the warrant. Obviously we didn't meet the criteria, but I don't know why. I'll be asking a question about that."
He speculated: "Maybe it's because we're not fully organic. It's a job getting organic meat to this part of the country – we're in the middle of nowhere up here."
HM Sheridan still holds a royal warrant issued by Queen Elizabeth. A separate review is being carried out to determine the future of that warrant, alongside some 600 others issued to brands by the late Queen.
King Charles is a huge advocate of organic products. At one of his last official engagements as Prince of Wales on the day before the Queen's death, he talked about his longstanding concerns that the widespread use of antibiotics could lead to increased resistance in bugs and viruses.
He said: "One of the reasons I went organic 40 years ago was because I felt there was an overuse of antibiotics. And I felt that if you overdo it, you end up with resistance. Anyway, that's happened. I was told I was a complete idiot for even suggesting going organic."
Mr Sinclair previously spoke about his interactions with the late Queen - and revealed her typical order. The butcher recalled delivering to the castle in Aberdeen and having "such good banter" with the Queen.
He said he would always make Her Majesty some special sausages for summer barbecues and a lamb would usually be on the order for big family gatherings. He also told The Times he was nervous the first time he met the Queen when she was at a garden party on castle grounds.
"I looked down on this small woman who had such good banter. She was quite cheeky as well," Mr Sinclair added.
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