Why Did the Royal Warrants Disappear from Barbour Jackets? How to Read a Barbour Label

If you own more than one Barbour jacket, you may have noticed something curious inside them. Older labels often display three Royal Warrants. Later examples show two. Some have none at all. Now, a new single Royal Warrant from HM King Charles III is appearing on current Barbour products. It can look as though the Warrants simply disappeared and then returned, but there is a clear explanation—and the changing labels can also provide useful clues about when a Barbour was made.

What Is a Royal Warrant?

A Royal Warrant of Appointment recognises a company that regularly supplies goods or services to a member of the Royal Household who is authorised to grant Warrants. It allows the Warrant holder to display the relevant Royal Arms in connection with the business.

A Royal Warrant is not a general Royal endorsement of every product a company makes, nor does it mean that the holder supplies the Royal Household exclusively. It reflects an established trading relationship with the Royal Household and is normally granted for up to five years at a time.

When the Royal Arms are displayed, they are accompanied by wording known as the legend, identifying the Grantor and the nature of the goods or services supplied.

How Barbour Came to Display Three Royal Warrants

Barbour's association with Royal Warrants developed over several decades.

The company received a Royal Warrant from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in 1974. A second followed from HM Queen Elizabeth II in 1982, and in 1987 HRH The Prince of Wales granted Barbour its third.

For decades afterwards, the three Royal marks became one of the most recognisable features of Barbour labelling. They appeared above the Barbour name on jackets and other products and became so familiar that many customers came to regard the three-Warrant label as part of the design itself.

That longevity also explains why the later disappearance of the Warrants caused so much confusion. For customers accustomed to seeing three Royal marks inside a Barbour, a label displaying two—or none—could initially look unusual.

The Familiar Three-Warrant Barbour Label

For many years this was the label customers associated most closely with Barbour: three Royal marks representing Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and the then Prince of Wales.

Why Did the Three Warrants Start to Disappear?

The change began following the death of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021.

Under Royal Warrant rules, a Warrant becomes void when its Grantor dies. However, a business may usually continue using the relevant Royal Arms for up to two years, provided there has been no significant change within the company.

This means Royal Warrant changes do not necessarily appear on every product overnight. Manufacturers need time to change labels and packaging, while retailers can still have earlier stock moving through their businesses.

As Barbour moved through this transition, labels began appearing with two Royal Warrants rather than the familiar three.

The Two-Warrant Transitional Label

This example photographed by Allweathers shows the next stage of the change: two Royal Warrants remaining after the Duke of Edinburgh mark was removed.

2022: A Much Bigger Reset

The transition became more significant following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

On the same day, the former Prince of Wales became King Charles III. Barbour's existing Warrant from the Prince of Wales therefore belonged to his previous role rather than his new position as Sovereign.

Barbour had consequently reached an unusual point in its modern history. The three Grantors represented on the familiar label were no longer able to continue in the same form: Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II had died, while the Prince of Wales had become King.

During the resulting transition, Barbour products also appeared with no Royal Warrant symbols on the label at all.

The Zero-Warrant Barbour Label

This Allweathers example captures the period when the familiar Royal Warrant marks disappeared completely from some Barbour labels. It does not indicate that the product is unofficial or inferior; it reflects the wider Royal Warrant transition taking place at the time.

May 2024: Barbour Receives a New Royal Warrant from HM The King

In May 2024, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd was granted a new Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM King Charles III.

The appointment covers Barbour as manufacturers of outerwear, clothing, footwear and accessories. Barbour is currently listed as a Royal Warrant holder by appointment to HM The King.

This is a new appointment and a new chapter in the label story. Instead of restoring the former three-Warrant arrangement, the current generation carries a single Royal Warrant from HM The King.

The New Single-Warrant Barbour Label

This is the latest generation documented by Allweathers: a single Royal Warrant from HM King Charles III.

What Allweathers Is Seeing on New Barbour Stock in 2026

Royal Warrant announcements and actual retail stock do not necessarily change at exactly the same time. Products can have long manufacturing lead times, and earlier packaging and labels naturally continue moving through the supply chain.

We can now confirm the latest stage from our own stock at Allweathers. In 2026, we have received newly supplied Barbour slippers carrying the new Royal Warrant from HM The King. The updated mark appears both on the product itself and on its Barbour packaging.

That gives us first-hand confirmation that the new single-Warrant identity is now making its way into physical Barbour retail stock.

How to Read a Barbour Royal Warrant Label

If you are looking at an older Barbour jacket, counting the Royal Warrants can provide a useful clue—but the number alone should never be treated as an exact manufacturing date.

The most useful approach is to look at which Royal Warrants are displayed, not simply how many there are.

• Three Warrants: The familiar long-running label displaying Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. This arrangement dates from after Barbour received the Prince of Wales Warrant in 1987 and continued for decades.
• Two Warrants: Transitional labels need to be read carefully. The two-Warrant example documented by Allweathers shows the post-2021 period after the Duke of Edinburgh mark had begun to disappear.
• No Warrants: A genuine transitional generation produced as Barbour moved away from the previous Royal appointments and awaited the new arrangements under King Charles III.
• One Warrant from HM The King: The new generation following Barbour's Royal Warrant of Appointment from King Charles III in May 2024. Allweathers is now seeing this mark on current stock.

Can the Royal Warrants Tell You Exactly How Old a Barbour Is?

No. Royal Warrants are useful for establishing broad periods, but they are not an exact dating system.

There are several reasons for this. Royal Warrant rules allow transition periods after a Grantor dies, manufacturers need time to introduce new labels and packaging, and retailers can continue selling stock manufactured before a label change.

A jacket bought after a particular Royal event may therefore still carry the previous label, while another produced later may already show the updated version.

For vintage dating, we would use the Royal Warrant label as one piece of evidence alongside the product code, care label, construction details, style and other identifying features.

What Do the Changing Labels Mean for Barbour Collectors?

The changing Warrants give Barbour enthusiasts another useful detail to examine when looking at older jackets. A three-Warrant label captures a long and distinctive period in Barbour history, while the two-Warrant and zero-Warrant versions record a comparatively brief period of transition between the reigns of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.

The new single-Warrant label now starts another identifiable chapter.

We would be cautious about claiming that one label automatically makes a jacket more valuable. Condition, model, age, rarity, provenance and demand all matter. What the labels certainly provide, however, is a fascinating historical marker and another clue when researching an older Barbour.

Royal Heritage and Keeping a Barbour for Longer

The Royal connection also fits naturally with another important part of modern Barbour: keeping waxed jackets in use.

In November 2021, the then Prince of Wales visited Barbour's South Shields factory and opened its Wax for Life Workshop. Barbour's repair and re-waxing services allow older wax jackets to be maintained rather than automatically replaced when they become worn.

For customers interested in older three-Warrant jackets, this matters. A label may record a particular point in Barbour history, but a well-used wax jacket can continue being repaired and re-waxed long after the label itself has changed.

Could Barbour's Labels Change Again?

Potentially—but nothing should be assumed.

HM The King has appointed both HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Princess of Wales as Royal Warrant Grantors, with each beginning to grant Royal Warrants from 2026.

That does not mean Barbour will automatically receive a Warrant from either of them. Companies must meet the normal eligibility requirements and apply through the established process.

What it does mean is that the Royal Warrant system is continuing to evolve. If Barbour were granted another Warrant in future, its product labels could potentially change once again.

Frequently Asked Questions About Barbour Royal Warrants

From Three Warrants to One: A New Chapter for Barbour

For decades, three Royal Warrants were such a familiar part of Barbour's identity that their disappearance naturally raised questions. The explanation is not a change in the authenticity or quality of the products, but a rare period of transition in the Royal Warrant system.

The photographs documented by Allweathers show that transition particularly clearly: three Warrants became two, the Royal marks then disappeared altogether, and the new reign has now introduced a single Royal Warrant from HM King Charles III.

For Barbour owners and collectors, those labels offer a fascinating connection between the jacket in the wardrobe and the wider history of the brand. They can help establish a broad period, but they are best treated as one clue rather than an exact date stamp.

And with the new King's Warrant now appearing on current Barbour stock, another recognisable generation of Barbour labels has begun.