Inside the Devon paint shop which provides the colour on royal carriages

A Devon paint shop owner has said it will be "quite a moment" when he sees his paint being used during the state funeral of the Queen.

David Wilson has run Wilson's Paints in Exmouth with his family since 1990. In 2005 the company was asked to match a colour on a royal carriage, leading to it being granted a Royal Warrant.

The product, called 'Coach-Kote', was developed by the Devon firm and is used on coaches in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. The royal warrant for the product, a sign of favour for businesses issued on behalf of the monarch, was awarded in January 2011 and has recently been renewed.

Mr Wilson said: "Sixteen years ago, we were approached, by recommendation, to match the main colour of the British royal coach fleet. This was in the days before colour matching tools and the match was done purely by eye and knowledge.

"After a successful match, we made up the colour and became suppliers to the palace. After five years of supply, we were eligible to apply for a Royal Warrant.

"We have now been supplying the Palace for over 16 years and it has been a privilege to watch historical events such as the Princes' weddings, seeing our paint on display."

The Royal Warrant is proudly on display in the window of Wilson's Paints in Exmouth

It is likely that much of his paint will be on display during the Queen's state funeral on Monday 19 September. David said: "When you're looking at the gun carriage you're looking at my paint, as well as the coaches - quite a moment.

"It gives you a very warm feeling knowing that what you're making is going where it's going. A very warm feeling indeed.

"It's just hard to believe that she's gone. 'The Boss', as we called her, and now we've got a new boss."

A spoke from a royal carriage, used to colour-match paint, is still kept in the shop

The company's relationship with Buckingham Palace started in 2005 when a spoke from a royal carriage was sent to them to be colour-matched. The family still keep the spoke in the shop and regularly show it to customers.

David's son, Jack, said: "It's a brilliant souvenir to have in the shop and it's a big talking point when people come in and ask about the Queen's paint. We bring this out and show them and they're like, 'oh wow you've got one of the Queen's spokes!'."

Kate Wilson, David's daughter, said it was a great honour for them to hold the Royal Warrant for so long. She said: "When we went to the celebration at Buckingham Palace and we were in the Buckingham Palace gardens with all the other warrant holders, we were amongst the likes of John Lewis, Bentley. We were sort of saying 'do we fit in?!'

"We come from Devon, we're not even a London firm. So that's where it throws people because they don't expect a very small outfit to have such a title."