Ariel (detergent) Automatic" powder. Though with the increasing popularity of automatic front-loading washing machines, a suitable low-suds variant "Ariel Automatic" was eventually launched in the early 1980s. The mid-eighties saw the range expanding to encompass liquid detergent and compact powder. The compact powder was originally known as "Ariel Ultra"; and was subsequently reformulated into the nineties as "Ariel Future". This was possibly in response to Unilever's launch of the ultimately doomed "Persil Power", which was seen to damage clothes. Compact powders never proved popular in the UK, so when the tablet variant appeared in July 1999, the compact version disappeared. In 2003,
Funeral directors to the Royal Household Funeral directors to the Royal Household The Funeral directors to the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom are selected and appointed by the Lord Chamberlain's Office. Usually privately owned and commercially operated businesses, the funeral directors to the Royal Household do not have more than an occasional role, although they will be called upon if a death occurs in the Royal Family to assist in arranging the funeral arrangements. The same companies are normally used to assist during state or ceremonial funerals of eminent people outside the Royal Family, for example Sir Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher.