Prince

Prince is a cigarette brand originating in Denmark and associated with House of Prince, the tobacco manufacturing business that became part of British American Tobacco. It was introduced in 1957 by Chr. Augustine's Fabrikker as a filtered cigarette positioned as an alternative to All-Over, an earlier filter-cigarette brand launched in Denmark by R. Færch's Factories. The brand initially built its identity around the Danish-language slogan “Jeg er også gået over til Prince,” meaning “I have also switched to Prince.” For much of the postwar period, Prince was one of Denmark's most prominent cigarette brands and a leading mass-market tobacco product. Its advertising used a combination of anonymous models in its early years and recognizable public figures from the 1960s onward. During the 1990s, Danish photomodel Tina Kjær was among the personalities associated with its promotional activity. Tobacco advertising in Denmark and across the European Union became subject to major restrictions from 2002, ending the brand's traditional advertising model in those markets. Prince expanded beyond Denmark during the 1960s and 1970s. It entered Sweden in 1961 and Norway in 1967, where its marketing frequently used local celebrities repeating the “I have also switched to Prince” message. Associated Norwegian and Swedish personalities included Rolv Wesenlund, Roald Øyen, Henki Kolstad, Lollo Schanke, Kari Simonsen and Elisabeth Granneman. The brand subsequently entered northern West Germany in 1972 and the rest of the German market in 1986. Reference material describes Prince as being available in more than 40 countries, although its strongest historical presence has been in Scandinavia, especially Denmark and Norway. The portfolio has included full-flavour, lighter, menthol, ultra-light, medium and other taste variants, as well as longer 100-millimetre formats. Names used over time include Rich Taste, Rounded Taste, Rich Taste 100, Rounded Taste 100, Menthol Taste, Golden Taste, Golden Taste 100, Smooth Taste, Mellow Taste, Highland Taste, Indian Summer and First Cut. Product names and availability have changed over time in response to regulatory requirements, consumer preferences and restrictions on descriptors associated with cigarette strength. Prince historically held a particularly strong position in Denmark. Reference material reports a 48.1 percent share of the Danish cigarette market in 2002, falling to 26.7 percent of sales five years later as competing brands, including LA, gained ground. In Norway, the brand has also been described as a major cigarette, with Prince Rounded Taste identified as a leading seller. These historical market-share figures should not be treated as current data. The brand has been involved in several controversies and legal disputes concerning counterfeit products, cigarette smuggling, manufacturing practices, additives and the measurement of tar and nicotine yields. In 2000, Danish authorities investigated a shipment involving approximately 2.5 million counterfeit or smuggled Prince cigarettes. Similar reports in Sweden described illegal production and distribution networks using Prince and other tobacco trademarks. In 2011, former smoker Allan Lykke Jensen brought litigation involving allegations that additives and testing practices had misled consumers; reports also discussed testimony concerning reconstituted tobacco material. The available reference material does not establish a definitive outcome for all of these proceedings. Prince's corporate history reflects consolidation in the tobacco industry. It was produced by House of Prince, which until 2008 was a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Company. The brand is now identified with British American Tobacco. Its principal identity remains that of a Scandinavian cigarette brand with a broad historical range, strong legacy recognition and distribution extending beyond its Danish origin.

Prince was launched in Denmark in 1957 by Chr. Augustine's Fabrikker. Its introduction followed the emergence of filtered cigarettes in the Danish market and was framed as a response to All-Over, which had been introduced four years earlier by R. Færch's Factories. From the outset, the brand used the slogan “Jeg er også gået over til Prince,” a switching-oriented message that presented Prince as the cigarette consumers were choosing when moving away from another brand. During the 1960s, Prince developed a more recognizable advertising identity by using public figures rather than relying solely on anonymous models. The same basic creative idea was adapted for neighboring Scandinavian markets. Prince entered Sweden in 1961 and Norway in 1967, where campaigns featured local celebrities publicly stating that they had switched to the brand. The approach helped Prince build a regional identity while retaining its Danish origin. The brand expanded into Germany in stages, reaching northern West Germany in 1972 and the rest of the country in 1986. Its later distribution extended to a range of European and other markets, including France, Austria, Spain, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Greece, the Baltic states, Russia, India and Greenland. Although the breadth of distribution made Prince an international cigarette brand, Denmark and the wider Nordic region remained its core historical markets. Prince became a major Danish cigarette brand and for decades was described as the country's market leader. Reference material reports that it represented 48.1 percent of the Danish cigarette market in 2002. Five years later, its reported share of sales had declined to 26.7 percent, reflecting competitive pressure from brands such as LA. In Norway, Prince has also held a substantial historical position, with Rounded Taste identified as a leading product and the overall brand described as having a market share of approximately 34 percent in the cited material. The product range evolved through multiple taste and format extensions. The original full-flavour product became associated with the Rich Taste name, while lighter versions were renamed Rounded Taste. Longer 100-format products were introduced in the 1980s, followed by menthol and ultra-light variants in the 1990s. Smooth Taste, Mellow Taste and later products such as Highland Taste, Indian Summer and First Cut broadened the range. Product naming changed over time, partly because tobacco regulations restricted claims and descriptors that could imply a relative health or strength advantage. The brand's traditional marketing environment changed sharply after tobacco advertising restrictions took effect in Denmark and other European Union countries from 2002. Before the restrictions, Prince had used celebrity endorsement, switching narratives and a distinctive Scandinavian advertising style. Afterward, packaging, retail presence and regulated product communication became more important, although the extent and form of permitted promotion varied by market. Prince's manufacturing and ownership history followed the consolidation of Scandinavian tobacco companies. The brand was produced by House of Prince, which was a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Company until 2008. It is now owned by British American Tobacco, which maintains the brand within its international tobacco portfolio. The available source identifies House of Prince as the production entity but does not provide a current standalone headquarters or a complete current manufacturing map. Counterfeit and illicit-trade issues have repeatedly affected the brand. In 2000, Danish police investigated a shipment of roughly 2.5 million suspected counterfeit Prince cigarettes discovered near the German-Danish border. Later reporting described illegal factories and smuggling routes in Eastern Europe, Asia and other regions using Prince branding without authorization. In 2017, untaxed cartons were reportedly marketed online in Denmark at prices below official retail levels. These cases concerned unauthorized products and criminal distribution rather than ordinary official Prince sales. The brand was also drawn into Danish litigation over alleged additives, nicotine and tar measurement practices, and the possible use of reconstituted tobacco material. Reporting in 2011 connected these issues with a lawsuit brought by former smoker Allan Lykke Jensen and testimony from a former Scandinavian Tobacco Company director. The available reference does not provide a complete final judgment or establish that every allegation was upheld. Prince therefore remains historically significant as a Scandinavian tobacco brand, while its public record also reflects the regulatory, health and illicit-trade controversies surrounding manufactured cigarettes.

• 2008

  House of Prince ownership transition

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  House of Prince ceased to be a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Company, as reflected in the brand's corporate history.

• 2002

  Tobacco advertising restrictions take effect

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Denmark and other European Union markets introduced tobacco-advertising restrictions that ended Prince's conventional advertising campaigns in those jurisdictions.

• 1990

  Menthol and ultra-light variants added

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  The range expanded with menthol and ultra-light products, later associated with Menthol Taste and Golden Taste.

• 1987

  Reported reduction in tar and nicotine yields

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  A cited test comparison reported that the stated tar level had been reduced to 20 mg and nicotine to 1.7 mg per cigarette.

• 1986

  Expansion across West Germany

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Prince reached the remainder of the West German market.

• 1985

  Long-format full-flavour variant introduced

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  The product range added the 100-format full-flavour cigarette later associated with the Rich Taste 100 name.

• 1972

  Expansion into northern West Germany

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  The brand entered northern West Germany as part of its wider European expansion.

• 1967

  Norwegian market launch

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Prince launched in Norway, where it later became a major cigarette brand.

• 1961

  Swedish market launch

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Prince entered Sweden and began expanding its Scandinavian footprint.

• 1957

  Prince introduced in Denmark

  [1]Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org

  Chr. Augustine's Fabrikker launched Prince on the Danish market as a filtered cigarette positioned in relation to the earlier All-Over brand.

A mainstream Scandinavian cigarette brand historically positioned around familiarity, switching and broad taste choice, with especially strong recognition in Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

• Full-flavour cigarette · 1957

  Prince Rich Taste

  The principal full-flavour expression of the Prince range, formerly associated with the Prince Full Flavour name. It represents the brand's traditional mainstream cigarette profile and is historically linked to the original 1957 product.

• Lower-intensity cigarette

  Prince Rounded Taste

  A smoother or lighter-positioned Prince variant, formerly marketed as Prince Lights. It became particularly associated with the Norwegian market, where reference material identifies it as a leading Prince product.

• 100-millimetre full-flavour cigarette · 1985

  Prince Rich Taste 100

  A longer-format version of the full-flavour Prince cigarette. It was formerly known as Prince Full Flavour 100 and extended the core product into the 100-millimetre format.

• 100-millimetre lower-intensity cigarette · 1988

  Prince Rounded Taste 100

  The 100-millimetre counterpart to Rounded Taste, formerly associated with the Prince Lights 100 name. It formed part of the brand's format expansion during the 1980s.

• Menthol cigarette · 1990

  Prince Menthol Taste

  A mentholated Prince product formerly sold as Prince Lights Menthol. It extended the brand into flavored cigarettes before later regulatory changes affecting menthol products in many markets.

• Ultra-light cigarette · 1990

  Prince Golden Taste

  An ultra-light-positioned variant formerly known as Prince Ultra Lights. The name reflected the range's attempt to offer a milder taste profile, although such descriptors became subject to regulatory scrutiny.

• Smooth-taste cigarette · 1999

  Prince Smooth Taste

  A smoother-taste extension introduced as Prince Extra Ultra before later being identified with the Smooth Taste name. It broadened the portfolio beyond the core full-flavour and light-style products.

• Cigarette variant · 2006

  Prince Highland Taste

  A later Prince variant introduced during the brand's continuing effort to diversify its taste range. The available reference gives no detailed product specification.

• Cigarette variant · 2007

  Prince Indian Summer

  A late-2000s addition to the Prince portfolio. The available reference identifies its introduction period but does not provide detailed information about its blend or positioning.

• Cigarette variant · 2007

  Prince First Cut

  A late-2000s Prince variant introduced alongside Indian Summer. Detailed formulation and current availability are not specified in the available reference material.

• 2017

  Online trade in untaxed and potentially counterfeit cartons

  Untaxed Prince cartons were reportedly offered through online channels in Denmark, with some products suspected of originating from illicit factories.

  Source

• 2011

  Litigation over additives and smoke-testing practices

  A former smoker's lawsuit alleged that additives and testing methods had contributed to consumers being misled about cigarette nicotine and tar exposure.

  Source

• 2011

  Claims concerning reconstituted tobacco material

  Court reporting connected the same litigation with allegations that tobacco waste had been reconstituted and used in Prince cigarettes until the 1990s.

  Source

• 2003

  Cross-border counterfeit production and smuggling reports

  Reporting described illicit factories and distribution routes in Eastern Europe, China and the Balkans producing cigarettes marked with Prince and other tobacco trademarks.

  Source

• 2000

  Counterfeit Prince cigarette shipment in Denmark

  Danish police investigated approximately 2.5 million suspected counterfeit or smuggled Prince cigarettes found in a shipment near the German-Danish border.

  Source

Read more

• 1990Tina Kjær promotional association

  Denmark

  Danish photomodel Tina Kjær was among the public personalities associated with Prince promotion during the 1990s.

  Source
• 1960Celebrity switching campaign

  Denmark · Norway · Sweden

  From the 1960s, Prince incorporated recognizable public figures into the switching concept. Norwegian and Swedish executions used local celebrities who said they had changed to Prince.

  Outcome. The campaign helped adapt a common brand platform to multiple Scandinavian markets until tobacco-advertising restrictions limited such activity.

  Source
• 1957Jeg er også gået over til Prince

  Denmark

  Prince launched with a Danish switching message presenting the speaker as someone who had moved to the brand. Early executions used anonymous models.

  Outcome. The slogan became the central long-term advertising platform for the brand.

  Source

• 2008

  Change in House of Prince corporate affiliationM&A

  Background

  House of Prince had historically operated as a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Company.

  Action taken

  The corporate relationship changed in 2008; the available reference identifies British American Tobacco as the current owner of the Prince brand.

  Aftermath

  Prince became part of British American Tobacco's international brand portfolio.

  Source

• 2002

  Shift away from conventional tobacco advertisingStrategy

  Background

  Denmark and other European Union countries introduced tobacco-advertising restrictions.

  Action taken

  Prince and other cigarette brands had to discontinue or substantially curtail traditional advertising and celebrity-led promotional activity in affected markets.

  Aftermath

  Brand communication became more dependent on regulated packaging, retail availability and market-specific legal channels.

  Source

• 1987

  Reported reduction of stated tar and nicotine yieldsGeneration change

  Background

  A cited 1977 test found comparatively high tar and nicotine levels in Prince cigarettes available in Norway. Later reporting stated that these figures were reduced by 1987.

  Action taken

  The reported product specification changed to 20 mg of tar and 1.7 mg of nicotine per cigarette.

  Aftermath

  The figures later became part of disputes about whether machine testing accurately represented smoker exposure.

  Source

1. 1Prince (cigarette)en.wikipedia.org