The Queen has awarded a royal warrant to the beauty consultant behind her bee venom facials.
For the first time, the Queen has granted new warrants to the trusted team of fashion designers and beauty experts who have worked alongside her for decades.
She has given the royal seal of approval to Heaven Health and Beauty, run by Deborah Mitchell, the beauty expert to whom she has turned for bee venom and collagen facials for 18 years, as well as Jo Hansford, the London hair stylist who has been maintaining her locks for three decades.
She has also granted warrants to dressmakers Anna Valentine and Fiona Clare, as well as Philip Treacy, her favoured milliner.
Couturier Roy Allen, who has been creating outfits for the Queen, and previously worked with other senior royals including Diana, Princess of Wales, and Princess Margaret, has also been awarded a warrant.
Ms Mitchell, 59, said the warrant was an “incredible” accolade that would prove a huge boost to business, and in particular, foreign exports.
She said the Queen, 77, had first contacted her shortly after she married the then Prince of Wales and became Duchess of Cornwall in 2005. She was the first person to try the bee venom mask, which has since become a cult favourite.
“The Queen was the first to try it when I made it,” Ms Mitchell told The Telegraph. “I handmake the products and do her treatments as well. Her new favourite is collagen drops – which you drink – and she is still using the bee venom.”
Ms Mitchell, whose Shropshire-based company employs just 14 people, is understood to be a regular visitor to the Queen, travelling to wherever she is asked to provide facials.
Her bee venom mask can be used as a moisturiser or overnight treatment. Made with organic oils, Manuka honey and a patented blend of bee venom, it tricks the skin into thinking it has been stung, sending collagen and elastin to the area to repair itself.
Anna Valentine, who designed the gown worn by the Queen when she married the King, said she was “honoured” to have been granted a warrant.
“It is a wonderful recognition for the team of 16 highly skilled artisans employed at the Anna Valentine atelier in Marylebone, and a testament to Her Majesty’s loyalty, which is greatly appreciated,” she said.
The King and Queen have granted royal warrants to almost 400 companies that supply the Royal household.
From piano tuners to fine art dealers, and plasterers to tree surgeons, they represent the final batch of grants to be awarded following a major review that was launched after the King’s accession.
The list of recipients includes Bollinger and Veuve Clicquot, the Champagne houses, as well as household favourites such as Weetabix and John Lewis.
Royal warrants are granted for up to five years at a time as a mark of recognition for the ongoing supply of goods or services to the royal household and senior members of the Royal family.
In May, it was announced that some 145 companies that previously held warrants from the King as Prince of Wales had been renewed.
In addition, the Queen granted her own set of seven warrants, including Corney & Barrow Ltd, the London wine merchants, and Fortnum & Mason, the grocers.
Each of them, however, had previously held a royal warrant to the King.
The new warrants granted by the Queen represent the first time she has been able to give a very public vote of confidence to her most trusted suppliers.
The seventh in her list is Benson and Babb veterinary practice, which did hold a warrant from the King before his accession.
The announcement follows a review of all warrants previously awarded by the late Queen, who had around 650 when she died.
The vast majority appear to have been renewed, with only around 100 falling by the wayside.
Insiders note that they may not have reapplied, they may have ceased trading or their application may have been deferred.
New applications made this year are currently under review with an announcement due next Spring.
The Prince of Wales is then expected to be made a grantor and will have the opportunity to award warrants to suppliers of his own household for the first time.
