Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed has banned the Duke of Edinburgh from visiting his store and will not be reapplying for Royal Warrants granted by the Queen and Prince of Wales, it emerged yesterday.
Mr Fayed has written to the royal family to tell them they are welcome to shop in the Knightsbridge store - as long as they don't bring the Duke along.
Earlier this year the Duke announced his intention to withdraw his Royal Warrant, which Harrods has held since 1956, because of a decline in his trading relationship with the store.
Without it, the store cannot display his crest on its frontage, carrier bags or stationery.
Royal Warrants from the Queen, held since 1955, and Prince of Wales, held since 1980, both expire at the end of 2001 but Mr Fayed said Harrods would not be reapplying for them.
All Royal Warrants would be removed from the store's Brompton Road facade at the end of this summer, he said.
The royals had not bought anything in the store since December 1997 so it would be ''totally inappropriate'' for Harrods to apply for renewal of the warrants, he said.
''Since neither the Queen nor Prince Charles have shopped in Harrods for several years displaying the Royal Crest would be totally misleading and hypocritical,'' said Mr Fayed.
''We are proud of the Harrods reputation as the world's finest store and we naturally welcome discerning shoppers from all over the world.
''The Royal Family, with the exception of Prince Philip, are welcome to shop at Harrods at any time. Should they return to our store and spend any of their vast fortune with us then we would reconsider our position with regards to applying for the Royal Warrants.
''In these circumstances Harrods displaying Royal Warrants would actually mean something and therefore be justified.''
Buckingham Palace said that
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not re-applying for the warrants was a matter for Mr Fayed.
Relations between Mr Fayed and the royal family have been frosty since the fatal car crash involving his son, Dodi, and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
Later Mr Fayed said that he was confident business would not be affected by the loss of the Royal Warrants.
He said: ''Harrods is international, it's a museum, people come from all over the world and it's the third tourist attraction in the country. These things are from 100 years ago not now, it's over now.''
Asked why he thought the royals had stopped buying from Harrods, Mr Fayed said he believed it was since the 1997 tragedy. He did not comment on what would happen if the Duke of Edinburgh, who he has accused of being behind the crash, ever turned up at the store.
Without the warrants of the Duke, Queen and Prince of Wales, Harrods will be left with only the Queen Mother's warrant.
Mr Fayed handed out Harrods goodie bags yesterday to children at the finals of the National Multi Disabled Soccer Association five-a-side tournament at Craven Cottage, Fulham's football ground.
The tournament was sponsored by Mr Fayed, who is chairman of Fulham and has a 17-year-old deaf son.
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