THE recent birthdays of a great grandmother and her great granddaughter have seen the Royal family attract much media coverage in recent weeks. As The Queen turns 90 and Princess Charlotte turns one, business editor Laura Knowlson looks at some of the local companies supplying Britain's most regal family.

WHEN listing a portfolio of customers a business is unlikely to boast a more prestigious contract than one which sees it named as a supplier to the Royal household.

The honour is marked with the issuing of a Royal Warrant of Appointment, granted to those business that have supplied goods or services to the households of The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh or The Prince of Wales for at least five years, and who have an ongoing trading arrangement.

There are around 800 Royal Warrant holders representing a huge cross-section of trade and industry, from individual craftspeople to global multi-nationals who supply goods to the British Monarchy in a tradition dating back to medieval times.

In those days competition for Royal favour was intense and the Monarch had the pick of the country's best tradespeople.

By the 15th century, the Lord Chamberlain, as head of the Royal Household, formally appointed tradespeople with a Royal Warrant of Appointment, marking the start of a practice that continues to this day.

Despite it's distance from any Royal residences, North and East Yorkshire is home to a number of Royal Warrant Holders, supplying a varied range of goods and services.

Taylors of Harrogate has holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment as suppliers of beverages to The Prince of Wales.

The Warrant was granted in recognition that Taylors has been supplying Clarence House, the official London residence of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, with teas and coffees for more than five years.

As Warrant Holders to The Prince of Wales must also demonstrate a commitment to looking after the environment and developing sustainably, the dedication Taylors of Harrogate has shown for its local community recycling initiatives, support of sustainable farming and long-term Trees for Life appeal was also rewarded in 2001 and 2007 when the business received the Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development.

To mark its Royal Warrant the offices at Taylors of Harrogate have been adorned with a special coat of arms. Gilded in 24 carat gold and palladium leaf and with red, blue and green enamelled jewels, it was made for the family-run business by craft gilder Collin Mullins.

Another supplier to the Prince of Wales is Goole-based Peppers Marquees, which has just had its Royal Warrant of Appointment renewed after more than ten years service, which it picked up from a contact in the events industry.

Pepper supplies the residences of High Grove, where is works six months of the year to provide marquees for garden tours, as well as Clarence House. and Dumfries House, where the firm has installed a permanent marquee structure for hosting events.

Danny Tupling, contract manager at Peppers Marquees, said: "It's a huge honour to have, and nice to have the coat of arms on our vehicles and promotional material.

"We don't shout about it too much really as discretion is appreciated, we just get on with it and ensure we are providing them with the best quality service and product."

The ties between North Yorkshire and Royal residences are strengthened further by a contract which sees all the Royal family's flags manufactured in Knaresborough.

Flying Colours Flags received its Royal Warrant of Appointment in January 2008, and now has its flags flying at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral.

The Queen's 90th Birthday was marked with the flying of the Royal Standard at Windsor Castle, made by Flying Colours, which also produced the UK's largest Union flag to fly in the UK, measuring 38ft by 19ft.

Owner Andy Ormrod said: "We were delighted to receive the Royal Warrant, and it still keeps us very busy.

"We had heard that the previous supplier was leaving the flag market after being bought out, so I rang the palace and was given a name to contact.

"I rang them three times and kept being told the previous contract hadn't changed, so I asked them how big the flag was at Buckingham Palace.

"We made one even bigger and sent it free of charge to show what we could do.

"Not long after that we got a fax ordering another four of them, and the rest as they say is history. We have worked to build on that relationship with them ever since.

"It's an absolutely fabulous accolade to have. It can work slightly against us as people assume we must be expensive if we supply The Queen. But when you think Weetabix and Robinsons juices have Royal Warrants it shows that isn't necessarily the case."

East Riding Farm Services Ltd. (ERFS) has been supplying quality animal health products to The Queen’s Royal farms for a number of years, and following an in depth selection process was awarded the Royal Warrant accolade in January 2013.

ERFS is a family run business mainly supplying UK Pig Farmers with their animal health products.

Established in 1996 by father and son, David and Richard Smith, ERFS now operate from modern offices and warehouse at Driffield. where they employ 12 full time staff.

David Smith is managing director and has been selling to farmers for more than 50 years and he personally holds the warrant on behalf of the business.

Other Royal Warrant holders in North Yorkshire include Ripon-based building and maintenance firm T&R Williamson, as well as upmarket tailor Austin Reed, which has had its head office in Thirsk for more than 50 years, but fell into administration last week.