Queen's butcher who served her days before she died stripped of royal honour

The late Queen's cherished local butcher in Scotland, who served her just days before her passing, has been stripped of his royal honour.

John Sinclair, co-owner of HM Sheridan, a butcher shop that has been providing Balmoral Castle and the neighbouring estate Birkhall with meat and poultry since 1987, expressed his disappointment at losing one of his royal warrants.

Previously, the shop had been awarded warrants by both the late Queen Elizabeth and Charles when he was still the Prince of Wales.

However, Sinclair was left "disappointed" after failing to secure the new King's Warrant, reports the Mirror.

The decision came during a review of the Royal Warrants granted by the King before his ascension to the throne.

A warrant is initially given for up to five years to a named individual within a company.

This mark of recognition for suppliers of goods and services to the monarchy allows companies to advertise their connection to the Royal Family.

In a conversation with 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, the renowned butcher, continues to hold a royal warrant from Queen Elizabeth. The future of this prestigious endorsement, along with around 600 others bestowed by the late monarch, is currently under review.

King Charles, known for his passion for organic products, expressed his long-held concerns about antibiotic overuse at one of his final engagements as Prince of Wales, just before the Queen passed away.

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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