Coat of arms of the United Kingdom

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Royal coat of arms
of the United Kingdom
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Tudor crown).svg
Versions
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg
Armiger Monarch of the United Kingdom
Adopted1837
Crest Upon the helm, the imperial crown proper thereon a lion statant guardant Or langued Gules armed Argent, imperially crowned Proper; mantled Or doubled Ermine
Shield Quarterly, I and IV Gules, three lions passant guardant in pale Or langued and armed Azure. II Or a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules. III Azure a harp Or stringed Argent.; quarters for England and Scotland are exchanged in Scotland.
Supporters On the dexter a lion rampant guardant Or langued and armed Gules, imperially crowned Proper. On the sinister a Unicorn rampant Argent armed crined and unguled Or, and gorged with a Coronet composed of crosses patee and fleurs-de-lis, a chain affixed thereto passing through the forelegs and reflexed over the back Or
Compartment Tudor rose, Shamrock, and Thistle
Motto French: Dieu et mon droit , lit. 'God and my right'
Order(s) Order of the Garter
Order of the Thistle (Scottish version)
Earlier version(s) see below
UseOn all acts of Parliament; the cover of all UK passports; various government departments; adapted for the reverse of coins of the pound sterling (2008)

The coat of arms of the United Kingdom are the arms of dominion of the British monarch. They are both the personal arms of the monarch, currently King Charles III, and the arms of the state. [1] [2] In addition to the monarch, the arms are used by state institutions including the Government of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and the British judiciary. Differenced versions of the arms are used by members of the British royal family. The monarch's official flag, the Royal Standard, is the coat of arms in flag form.

Contents

There are two versions of the coat of arms. One is used in Scotland, and includes elements derived from the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Scotland, and the other is used elsewhere and includes elements derived from the coat of arms of the Kingdom of England. The shields of both versions of the arms quarter the arms of the kingdoms of England and Scotland, which united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, and the Kingdom of Ireland, which united with Great Britain to form the United Kingdom in 1801. The Irish quarter now represents Northern Ireland, after the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922.

The present arms do not include a representation of the United Kingdom's fourth constituent country, Wales, primarily because the country was conquered by England by 1283 and later formed an integral part of the Kingdom of England. Wales is instead represented heraldically by two royal badges, which use the Welsh dragon and the coat of arms of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth respectively.

Description

Outside Scotland

At the centre of the arms is a quartered shield, depicting the three passant guardant lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland in the second quarter, and a harp for Ireland in the third quarter. [3] [4] Surrounding the shield is the Order of the Garter, the United Kingdom's most senior order of knighthood. [4] The supporters are a crowned English lion on the dexter (heraldic right), and a chained Scottish unicorn on the sinister (heraldic left). [5] Above the shield is a gold helmet, which has mantling of gold and ermine attached to it. On top of this is the crest, a crown with a crowned lion standing on it. Below the shield is a grassy mound, a type of compartment, on which are thistles, Tudor roses and shamrocks, representing Scotland, England and Ireland respectively. [4] In front of this is the motto Dieu et mon droit , a French phrase meaning 'God and my right'. [4]

During the reign of Elizabeth II the crowns depicted in this version of the royal arms were close representations of St Edward's Crown. Following Charles III's decision to use the Tudor Crown in his royal cypher, the College of Arms envisaged that the crown on the royal arms will also change. [6] This would be similar to the design used from the beginning of Edward VII's reign in 1901 to the end of George VI's reign in 1952.[ citation needed ] However, as of April 2024 the St Edward's Crown version remains in use. [7] [8]

In Scotland

The royal arms in Scotland use the same basic elements, but with distinctive Scottish symbolism. In the shield the Scottish arms occupy the first and fourth quarters and the English arms the second, giving the former precedence. [4] The shield is surrounded by the Order of the Thistle. The crest is a crowned red lion holding a sword and sceptre (representing the Honours of Scotland), facing forward sitting on a crown. Above it is the Scots motto 'In defens', a contraction of the phrase 'In my defens God me defend'. The supporters are a crowned and chained Scottish unicorn on the dexter, and a crowned English lion on the sinister. Between each supporter and the shield is a lance displaying the flag of their respective kingdom. The grassy mound beneath the shield contains only thistles; on it is a second motto, that of the Order of the Thistle: Nemo me impune lacessit (No one will attack me with impunity). [4] The crowns in the Scottish version of the arms are conventionally stylised to resemble the Crown of Scotland.

History

England and Scotland

The current royal arms originated in the arms of the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland, both adopted in the twelfth century. The English arms were quartered with those of France from 1340 (except 1360–69), representing the English claim to the French throne. The arms of Scotland remained unaltered except during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, when they were first impaled with those of her husband, Francis II of France, and then quartered to represent Mary's claim to the English throne. Similarly, during the reign of Mary I of England her arms were impaled with those of her husband, Philip II of Spain.

In 1603 James VI of Scotland inherited the English and Irish thrones, and to symbolise this union of the crowns the arms of England (including France) and Ireland were quartered with those of Scotland. In 1689 Mary II and William III became co-monarchs and impaled their arms; both used the royal arms, with William also bearing an inescucheon of Nassau, the royal house to which he belonged.

During the Commonwealth and The Protectorate in the mid-seventeenth century the arms were significantly changed, as the monarchy had been abolished. The Irish harp continued to be used, but England was represented by St George's Cross and Scotland by St Andrew's Cross. These were impaled in various ways, and from 1655 to 1659 also included the arms of the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, on an inescutcheon. The motto was also changed to the Latin "pax quaeritur bello" (English: peace is sought by war).

Great Britain

The Acts of Union 1707 formed the Kingdom of Great Britain from England and Scotland. The arms of the new kingdom impaled England and Scotland in the first and fourth quarters, representing their union, with France in the second and Ireland in the third. In 1714 the Elector of Hanover, George I, became king and the arms of Hanover were placed in the fourth quarter.

United Kingdom

St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, Scotland: Scottish version of the royal arms of the Hanoverians, used from 1801 to 1816 Lion and Unicorn - geograph.org.uk - 902236.jpg
St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, Scotland: Scottish version of the royal arms of the Hanoverians, used from 1801 to 1816

In 1801 Great Britain and Ireland were united to form the United Kingdom and the British claim to the French throne was dropped. This resulted in the removal of the French quarter from the royal arms and the rearrangement of the remaining quarters so that (outside Scotland) England occupied the first and fourth, Scotland the second, Ireland the third, and Hanover an inescutcheon topped by an electoral bonnet. Within Scotland the Scottish and English quarters were reversed. In 1816 the electorate of Hanover became a kingdom, and the bonnet was replaced with a crown in the royal arms.

In 1837 Victoria became queen of the United Kingdom but not Hanover, as the latter followed Salic law which barred women from the succession. The Hanoverian inescutcheon was therefore dropped, and the royal arms reached the form they have retained to the present. The only changes since have been cosmetic, such as altering the depiction of the Irish harp so that it no longer includes a bare-breasted woman.

Ireland

Unlike the Acts of Union 1707 with Scotland, the Acts of Union 1800 with Ireland did not provide for a separate Irish version of the royal arms.[ dubious ] The crest of the Kingdom of Ireland ("on a wreath Or and Azure, a tower triple-towered of the First, from the portal a hart springing Argent attired and unguled Or") has had little or no official use since the union. When the Irish Free State established its own diplomatic seals in the 1930s, the royal arms appearing on them varied from those on their UK equivalents by having the Irish arms in two-quarters and the English arms in one. [9]

Wales

Wales is not directly represented in the royal arms, as following the passage of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, the then Principality of Wales was formally incorporated with the Kingdom of England. A Welsh dragon was used as a supporter by the Tudor monarchs, who were of Welsh descent, but this was replaced with the current Scottish unicorn when the Stuart dynasty inherited the throne.

In the 20th century the arms of the principality of Wales were added as an inescutcheon to the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, and a banner of those arms with a green inescutcheon bearing the prince's crown is flown as his personal standard in Wales. There is also a Royal Badge of Wales, which include the arms of the principality and which is used, among other things, on the cover of Acts of the Welsh Parliament. [10]

Development

Royal coats of arms of the United Kingdom
ArmsDatesDetails
Royal Arms of United Kingdom (1801-1816).svg Arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland (1801-1816).svg
1801–1816The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. At the same time, King George III abandoned his claim to the French throne. The royal arms changed, with England now occupying the first and fourth quarters, Scotland the second, Ireland the third. The royal arms used in Scotland has Scotland occupying the first and fourth quarters, England the second, Ireland the third. For the Electorate of Hanover, there is an inescutcheon surmounted by the electoral bonnet. [3] The Arms of Hanover were similar, but lacked the electoral bonnet.
Royal Arms of United Kingdom (1816-1837).svg Arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland (1816-1837).svg
1816–1837The electoral bonnet was replaced by a crown in 1816, as Hanover had been declared a kingdom two years prior. [3]
Arms of the United Kingdom.svg Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg
1837–present

The accession of Queen Victoria ended the personal union between the United Kingdom and Hanover, as Salic law prevented a woman from ascending the Hanoverian throne, and the inescutcheon of the arms of Hanover was removed. [3] There was no attempt to alter the royal arms to reflect later titles acquired by the British monarch such as Emperor of India. The harp of the Kingdom of Ireland remained despite partition in 1921, to represent Northern Ireland.

Since the 1920s the Irish harp has often been depicted as a plain Gaelic harp, rather than a winged female, but this is a stylistic change and does not affect the blazon. [11]

Government and judicial use

Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (St Edwards Crown).svg
Version used by the UK Government [12]
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (black and white).svg
Version used on the cover of Acts of Parliament and British Passports, engraved by Reynolds Stone in 1956
UK Government Crown Crest.svg
Version used by the UK Government on official websites and departmental insignia

Various versions of the royal arms are used by the Government of the United Kingdom, the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and courts in some parts of the Commonwealth.

Government

The UK Government generally uses a simplified form of the arms which omits the helm and mantling and reduces the crest to the crown alone, and with no compartment. [13] The royal arms feature on all Acts of Parliament, in the logos of government departments, on the cover of all UK passports and passports issued in other British territories and dependencies, as an inescutcheon on the diplomatic flags of British Ambassadors, and on The London Gazette . It is also used in The British Overseas Territories, namely on all acts of the Anguilla House of Assembly and by the administrations of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the Pitcairn Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Scotland Office and the Advocate General for Scotland use the Scottish version of the arms, again without the helm or crest.

The simplified Scottish royal arms were used as the day-to-day logo of the Scottish Executive until September 2007, when the body was rebranded as the Scottish Government and began using a logo incorporating the flag of Scotland. [14] The Scottish Government continues to use the arms on some official documents, including Acts of the Scottish Parliament.

Outside the UK and its dependencies, the arms are used as a logo by the Parliament of Victoria and the Western Australian Legislative Council, both in Australia. [15] [16]

Judicial

The royal arms appear in courtrooms in England and Wales, typically behind the judge's bench, and symbolise that justice comes from the monarch. [17] One exception is the magistrates' court in the City of London. [17] Courtrooms in Scotland, in the same way, usually display the Scottish version of the royal arms. [18] The Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 prohibited the display of the royal arms in courtrooms or on court building exteriors in Northern Ireland, with the some exceptions. [lower-alpha 1] [19]

However, the arms are not displayed in the Middlesex Guildhall, which houses the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, as the remit of the former includes the four nations of the entire UK, and the latter is the final court of appeal for three independent republics and for the independent sultanate of Brunei Darussalam, not recognizing the judicial authority of the British monarch as their head of state, as well as for the various British territories and sovereign bases, the Crown dependencies, and other independent Commonwealth realms where the king is the head of state but separated from the judicial authority. [20]

Various courts in the Commonwealth also continue to use the royal arms:

Other official uses

Heraldry

A banner of the royal arms, known as the Royal Standard, is flown from buildings in which the monarch is resident or present. The Palace of Westminster, for example, usually flies the Union Flag, but flies the Royal Standard when the monarch is present for the State Opening of Parliament. When the monarch is not in residence at a palace in Scotland the Royal Banner of Scotland is flown; palaces in the rest of the UK fly the Union Flag.

The royal arms feature on the tabard worn by officers of arms of the College of Arms and Court of the Lord Lyon. [33] These garments are worn at several traditional ceremonies, such as the annual procession and service of the Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle, the State Opening of Parliament, the coronation, and state funerals. [33]

Coinage

The Royal Shield formed by six UK coins, with the PS1 coin depicting the whole of the shield. Day 36 - Gotta Catch 'Em All (cropped).jpg
The Royal Shield formed by six UK coins, with the £1 coin depicting the whole of the shield.

The royal arms regularly feature on British coinage, and are used as a logo by the Royal Mint. In 2008 a new series of designs for all seven coins of £1 and below was unveiled by the Royal Mint, every one of which is drawn from the royal arms. The full royal arms appear on the one pound coin, and sections appear on each of the other six, which combine to form a complete depiction. [34]

Armed Forces

The royal arms with the crest but without the helm is used as the rank insignia for Class 1 Warrant Officers in His Majesty's Armed Forces.

Ecclesiastical

It is customary (but not mandatory) for churches of the Church of England and Church of Scotland to display the royal arms to show loyalty to the Crown. [35] [36] If a church building of either denomination does not have a royal arms, permission from the Crown must be given before one can be used. [37]

Corporate

The royal arms are incorporated into Imperial College London's coat of arms, which developed from institutions founded and patronised by Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince Consort. [38]

The monarch grants royal warrants to select businesses and tradespeople which supply the royal household with goods or services. This entitles those businesses to display the royal arms on their packaging and stationery by way of advertising.

The UK newspaper The Times uses the Hanoverian royal arms as a logo, with The Sunday Times using the current version. The current royal arms are also used by Australian newspaper The Age and New Zealand newspaper, The Press .

Royal family

Members of the British royal family are granted their own personal arms. In the past, the monarch's younger sons used various differences; and married daughters of the monarch impaled the plain royal arms with their husbands' arms. But for many centuries now, all members of the royal family have had differenced versions of the royal arms settled on them by royal warrant. [39] Only children and grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are entitled to arms in this fashion: the arms of children of the monarch are differenced with a three-point label; while grandchildren of the monarch are differenced with a five-point label. An exception is made for the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, who also bears a three-point label. The labels are always white (argent) and each prince or princess has individual marks to form his or her particular difference, except the Prince of Wales, who uses a plain white three-pointed label. [39] Since 1911, the arms of the Prince of Wales also displays an inescutcheon of the ancient arms of the Principality of Wales. [39]

Queens consort and the wives of sons of the monarch also have their own personal coat of arms. Typically this will be the arms of their husband impaled with their own personal arms or those of their father, if armigerous. However, the consorts of a queen regnant are not entitled to use the royal arms. Thus Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was granted his own personal arms. A notable exception to this rule was Prince Albert, who used the royal arms (differenced by a special label) quartered with his own Saxon royal arms. [39]

Currently the following members of the royal family have their own arms based on the royal arms:

Children and grandchildren of the monarch in the male line
Armorial achievementShieldBearerDifference(s)
Arms of the Prince of Wales.svg William, Prince of Wales, outside ScotlandThe coat of arms of Edward VIII and Charles III as Prince of Wales was the arms of the United Kingdom with a white label of three points and an inescutcheon bearing the arms of Wales.
Coat of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg Shield of Arms of the Duke of Rothesay.svg Prince William, Duke of Rothesay, in ScotlandUsed in Scotland, the arms of the Duke of Rothesay are those of Clan Stewart of Appin adapted, namely the quartered arms of the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland and Lord of the Isles (secondary titles of the Duke) with an inescutcheon as Scottish heir apparent (the Royal Arms of Scotland with a blue three-point label).
Coat of Arms of Henry of Wales.svg Arms of Henry of Wales.svg Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Three-point label with three red escallops in each point, alluding to the patrilineal arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The College of Arms has stated that his label would change to one of three points, with each point bearing an escallop, upon his father's or brother's accession to the throne, which occurred in 2022. [40] [41] [42]
Coat of Arms of Anne, the Princess Royal.svg Arms of Anne, the Princess Royal.svg Anne, Princess Royal Three-point label, the points bearing a red cross, a red heart and a red cross. [3]
Coat of Arms of Anne, the Princess Royal (Scotland).svg Arms of Anne, the Princess Royal (Scotland).svg Scottish version of the Princess Royal's arms with a three-point label, the points bearing a red cross, a red heart and a red cross. [3]
Coat of Arms of Andrew, Duke of York.svg Arms of Andrew, Duke of York.svg Prince Andrew, Duke of York Three-point label, the centre point bearing a blue anchor. [3]
Coat of Arms of Beatrice of York.svg Arms of Beatrice of York.svg Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Five-point label with three bees in alternate points, alluding to the patrilineal arms of her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Coat of Arms of Eugenie of York.svg Arms of Eugenie of York.svg Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank Five-point label with three thistles in alternate points, alluding to the patrilineal arms of her mother, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Coat of Arms of Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.svg Arms of Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.svg Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Three-point label, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose.
Coat of Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Scotland).svg Arms of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Scotland).svg Scottish version of the Duke of Edinburgh's arms with a three-point label, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose
Coat of Arms of Richard, Duke of Gloucester.svg Arms of Richard, Duke of Gloucester.svg Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a red cross, the second and fourth points bearing a red lion. [3]
Coat of Arms of Edward, Duke of Kent.svg Arms of Edward, Duke of Kent.svg Prince Edward, Duke of Kent Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a blue anchor, the second and fourth points bearing a red cross. [3]
Coat of Arms of Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.svg Arms of Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.svg Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy Five-point label, the first and fifth points bearing a red heart, the second and fourth points bearing a blue anchor, and the third bearing a red cross. [3]
Coat of Arms of Michael of Kent.svg Arms of Michael of Kent.svg Prince Michael of Kent Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a red cross, the second and fourth points bearing a blue anchor. [3]
Consorts
Coat of arms of Queen Camilla.svg Arms of Queen Camilla.svg Queen Camilla The arms of the King impaled with those of Camilla's father, Major Bruce Shand, crowned with the royal crown. [43]
Coat of Arms of Queen Camilla (Scotland).svg Arms of Queen Camilla (Scotland).svg Scottish version of the Queen's coat of arms with the royal crown.
Arms of Catherine, Princess of Wales.svg Catherine, Princess of Wales The arms of the Prince of Wales impaled with those of Catherine's father, Michael Middleton. [44]
Coat of arms of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.svg Shield of arms of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.svg Meghan, Duchess of Sussex The arms of the Duke of Sussex impaled with those of her own design, crowned with the coronet of a child of the sovereign. [45]
Coat of Arms of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.svg Arms of Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.svg Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh The arms of the Duke of Edinburgh impaled with those granted in 1999 to Sophie's father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, with remainder to his elder brother Theo. The new grant was based on an unregistered 200-year-old design. The lion alludes to one of the Duchess's ancestors, the Welsh knight Elystan Glodrydd, prince of Ferrig. [46]
Coat of Arms of Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester (Order of the Garter).svg Arms of Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester.svg Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester The arms of the Duke of Gloucester with an escutcheon of pretence granted to her by Royal Warrant on 18 July 1973. [47]
Coat of Arms of Katharine, Duchess of Kent.svg Arms of Katharine, Duchess of Kent.svg Katharine, Duchess of Kent The arms of the Duke of Kent impaled with those of the Duchess's father, Sir William Worsley, 4th Baronet.
Coat of Arms of Marie Christine von Reibnitz, Princess Michael of Kent.svg Arms of Marie Christine von Reibnitz, Princess Michael of Kent.svg Princess Michael of Kent The arms of Prince Michael of Kent impaled with those of Marie Christine's father, Baron Günther Hubertus von Reibnitz.

Blazon

This table breaks down the official blazons to enable comparison of the differences between the general coat and the coat used in Scotland.

Everywhere except ScotlandScotland
Quarterly I & IVGules three lions passant gardant in pale Or armed and langued AzureOr a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the second
Quarterly IIOr a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the secondGules three lions passant gardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure
Quarterly IIIAzure a harp Or stringed Argent
Surrounded byThe Garter circlet The collar of the Order of the Thistle
Crest Upon the Royal helm the imperial crown proper, thereon a lion statant gardant Or imperially crowned properUpon the Royal helm the crown of Scotland proper, thereon a lion sejant affronté Gules armed and langued Azure, imperially crowned proper holding in his dexter paw a sword and in his sinister a sceptre, both proper
Supporters Dexter a lion rampant gardant Or imperially crowned proper, sinister a unicorn Argent, armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also OrDexter a unicorn Argent imperially crowned proper, armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or holding the standard of Saint Andrew, sinister a lion rampant gardant Or imperially crowned proper holding the standard of Saint George
Motto Dieu et mon droit (French) In my defens God me defend , abbr. In defens (Scots)
Order Motto Garter: Honi soit qui mal y pense (Anglo-Norman) Thistle: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin)
Plants on the compartment Roses, thistles and shamrocks (on the same stem)Thistles only

See also

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This is a list of coats of arms of the United Kingdom, its constituent parts, Crown Dependencies and its Overseas Territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inescutcheon</span>

In heraldry, an inescutcheon is a smaller escutcheon that is placed within or superimposed over the main shield of a coat of arms, similar to a charge. This may be used in the following cases:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">English heraldry</span> English form of heraldic bearings and insignia

English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings of arms of the College of Arms. An individual's arms may also be borne 'by courtesy' by members of the holder's nuclear family, subject to a system of cadency marks, to differentiate those displays from the arms of the original holder. The English heraldic style is exemplified in the arms of British royalty, and is reflected in the civic arms of cities and towns, as well as the noble arms of individuals in England. Royal orders in England, such as the Order of the Garter, also maintain notable heraldic bearings.

Heraldic labels are used to differentiate the personal coats of arms of members of the royal family of the United Kingdom from that of the monarch and from each other. In the Gallo-British heraldic tradition, cadency marks have been available to "difference" the arms of a son from those of his father, and the arms of brothers from each other, and traditionally this was often done when it was considered important for each man to have a distinctive individual coat of arms and/or to differentiate the arms of the head of a house from junior members of the family. This was especially important in the case of arms of sovereignty: to use the undifferenced arms of a kingdom is to assert a claim to the throne. Therefore, in the English royal family, cadency marks were used from the time of Henry III, typically a label or bordure alluding to the arms of the bearer's mother or wife. After about 1340, when Edward III made a claim to the throne of France, a blue label did not contrast sufficiently with the blue field of the French quarter of the royal arms; accordingly most royal cadets used labels argent: that of the heir apparent was plain, and all others were charged. Bordures of various tinctures continued to be used into the 15th century.

A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally considered a symbol of the government or the head of state personally and tends to be used in print, on armorial ware, and as a wall decoration in official buildings. The royal arms of a monarchy, which may be identical to the national arms, are sometimes described as arms of dominion or arms of sovereignty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales</span> Personal coat of arms of the Prince of Wales

The coat of arms of the Prince of Wales is the official personal heraldic insignia of the Princes of Wales, a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, formerly the Kingdom of Great Britain and before that the Kingdom of England.

References

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Notes

  1. The Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, the courts in Armagh, Banbridge, Downpatrick, Magherafelt, Omagh, and the exterior of court buildings that had them in place prior to the enactment of the Act.