noun
a charter granted by the sovereign (especially in Great Britain)
• Regions: ↑United Kingdom, ↑UK, ↑U.K., ↑Britain, ↑United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, ↑Great Britain
• Hypernyms: ↑charter
• Instance Hyponyms: ↑Magna Carta, ↑Magna Charta, ↑The Great Charter
* * *
an award given by the British ↑Privy Council to certain organizations or institutions which are recognized as the leading authorities in their field. Organizations with royal charters include the ↑BBC, the ↑British Academy and some British universities.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.