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The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion. Variants of the Royal Arms are used by other members of the Royal Family; and by the British Government in connection with the administration and government of the country. In Scotland, the Queen has a separate version of the Royal Arms, a variant of which is used by the Scottish Executive.
Features
The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the three lions passant guardant of England; in the second, the rampant lion and double tressure fleury-counter-fleury of Scotland; and in the third, a harp for Ireland.
The crest is a lion statant guardant wearing the imperial crown, itself on another representation of that crown.
The dexter supporter is a likewise crowned lion, symbolizing England; the sinister, a unicorn, symbolizing Scotland. According to legend a free unicorn was considered a very dangerous beast; therefore the British heraldic unicorn is chained.
The coat features both the motto of British monarchs Dieu et mon droit (God and my right) and the motto of the Order of the Garter, Honi soit qui mal y pense (Shamed be he who thinks ill of it) on a representation of the Garter behind the shield.
The official heraldic description of the Royal Arms is as follows:
- Quarterly, first and fourth Gules three lions passant gardant in pale Or (for England) second quarter Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland) third quarter Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland) the whole surrounded by the Garter for a Crest upon the royal helm the imperial crown Proper thereon a lion statant gardant Or imperially crowned Proper for Supporters dexter a lion rampant gardant Or crowned as the crest sinister, a unicorn Argent, armed, crined, and unguled Proper gorged with a coronet composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or. Motto. 'Dieu et mon Droit' in the compartment below the shield, with the Union rose, shamrock, and thistle engrafted on the same stem.
Scotland
The Queen has a separate version of her arms for use in Scotland, which gives the Scottish elements of her arms pride of place.
The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the lion rampant and double tressure fleury-counter-fleury of Scotland; in the second, the three lions passant guardant of England; and in the third, the harp of Ireland.
The crest is a red lion sitting on a crown, holding a sword and a sceptre. This was the crest used in the Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Scotland.
The supporters change sides, and both are crowned. The dexter supporter is a crowned unicorn, symbolising Scotland. The sinister supporter is a crowned lion, symbolising England.
The coat features both the motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No-one wounds (touches) me with impunity) and the Order of the Thistle around the shield.
Uses
The Royal Arms as shown above can only be used by the Queen. They also appear in court rooms, recognising the monarch as the font of justice in the UK. Judges are officially servants of the crown, demonstrated by them bowing to the Queen's Coat of Arms which sits behind the judge on the wall of every court in the land, with the exception of the magistrates court in the City of London, in which a sword stands vertically behind the judge which is flanked by the arms of the City and the Crown.
The Queen also awards Royal Warrants to various businesses that supply the Royal Household. This allows the business to display the Royal Arms on their packaging and stationery.
A banner of the arms, the Royal Standard is flown from the Royal Palaces when the Queen is in residence; and from public buildings only when the Queen is present. At Buckingham Palace, the Queen's main residence, the Royal Standard is flown when she is there. When she is not, the Union Flag is flown instead.
History
The current Royal Arms are a combination of the arms of the Kingdoms that make up the United Kingdom, and can be traced back to the first arms of the Kings of England and Scotland. Various alterations occurred over the years as the arms of other realms acquired or claimed by the Kings were added to the Royal Arms. The table below tracks the changes in the Royal Arms from the original arms of King Henry II of England, and King William I of Scotland.
| Kingdom of England | Kingdom of Scotland | ||||||||||
| Arms | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ~1133 | The first known arms of an English monarch, a golden lion rampant on a red field was first used by King Henry II | |
| 1198 - 1340 | The arms of King Richard I "The Lionheart", three golden lions on a red field was first used in 1198 before his accession to the throne. He later adopted them as his Royal Arms, as did his successors and they became the heraldic representation of the Kingdom of England. | |
| 1340 - 1406 | King Edward III quartered the Royal Arms of England with the ancient arms of France, the fleurs-de-lis on a blue field, to signal his claim to the French throne. | |
| 1406 - 1603 | King Henry IV updated the French arms to the modern version, three fleurs-de-lis on a blue field. |
| Arms | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 12th century - 1603 | A red lion rampant on a yellow field within a double tressure flory counter-flory, first used by King William I, and later by his successors, and becoming the heraldic representation of Scotland. |
| Kingdom of Great Britain (1603-1801) | ||
| Arms | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801-1927) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1927 - ) | ||
Other variants
Royal Family
Members of the British Royal Family receive their own personalised arms which are based on the Royal Arms. Only children and grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are entitled to receive their own arms in this fashion. The arms of children of the monarch are differentiated by a three point label; grandchildren of the monarch are differentiated by a five point label. An exception is made for the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, who received a three point label. Since 1911, the arms of the Prince of Wales also has an inescutcheon of the ancient arms of the Principality of Wales.
Queen consorts and the wives of sons of the monarch also receive their own personalised coat of arms. Typically this will be the arms of their husband impaled with their own personal arms or those of their father. However, the consorts of a Queen regnant are not entitled to use the Royal Arms. Thus Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh uses his own personalised arms (See *)
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 | ||
| Arms | Royal | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Prince William of Wales | Three point label with a red escallop from the arms of his mother, Lady Diana Spencer | |
| Prince Harry of Wales | Five point label with a red escallop in the first, third and five points | |
| Prince Andrew, Duke of York | Three point label, the centre label bearing a blue anchor | |
| Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex | Three point label, the centre label bearing a Tudor rose | |
| Anne, Princess Royal | Three point label, the first and third labels bearing a red cross, the centre label bearing a red heart. | |
| | Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester | Five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a red cross, the second and fourth labels bearing a red lion |
| | Prince Edward, Duke of Kent | Five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a blue anchor, the second and fourth labels bearing a red cross |
| Prince Michael of Kent | Five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a red cross, the second and fourth labels bearing a blue anchor. | |
| Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy | Five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a red heart, the second and fourth labels bearing a blue anchor. | |
| Consorts | ||
| Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall | The arms of the Prince of Wales impaled with those of her father, Major Bruce Shand | |
| Sophie, Countess of Wessex | The arms of the Earl of Wessex impaled with her own personal arms | |
Government
The British Government uses a version of the Royal Arms but without the helm or crest, while in Scotland, the Scottish Executive uses the Scottish version, again without the helm or crest. In both arms, the crown sits directly on the shieldThe Arms feature on
- All Acts of Parliament;
- The cover of all UK passports; and
- As an inescutcheon on the Diplomatic flags for a British Ambassador
It is also used by the following government departments
- The Foreign and Commonwealth Office;
- HM Treasury;
- The shield of the Royal Arms with the motto of the Order of the Garter is used by the Home Office; and
- The shield of the Royal Arms is used by the Royal Mint.
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 Scotland | Scotland | |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly I & IV | (gules, three lions passant guardant in pale Or, armed and langued azure) | (Or a lion rampant, within a double tressure fleury-counter-fleury gules) |
| II | (Or a lion rampant, within a double tressure fleury-counter-fleury gules) | (gules, three lions passant guardant in pale Or, armed and langued azure) |
| III | (azure, a harp Or stringed argent) | (azure, a harp Or stringed argent) |
| Surrounded by | a Garter with the words Honi soit qui mal y pense | the collar of the Order of the Thistle |
| Crest | Upon the Royal helmet an imperial crown proper, thereon statant gardant Or, a lion statant imperially crowned also proper. | Upon an imperial crown proper a lion sejant affronté gules, imperially crowned or, holding in his dexter paw a sceptre, and in his sinister a sword, both proper. |
| Supporters | Dexter, a lion rampant gardant Or, crowned as the crest; sinister, a unicorn argent, armed, crined, and unguled Or, gorged with a royal coronet, a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back of the last. Dexter, an unicorn argent royally crowned Or gorged with a royal coronet, armed and chained Or holding the standard of St Andrew; Sinister, a lion guardant royally crowned Or holding the standard of St George||
| Motto | Dieu et mon Droit | Nemo me impune lacessit |
| War-cry | In Defens |
The Irish royal crest On a torse azure and or, a castle triple-towered of the second, from the portal thereof a hart springing argent attired and hooved or is rarely if ever seen on the arms of the United Kingdom, as unlike the Act of Union 1707 with Scotland, the Act of Union 1800 with Ireland did not provide for a separate Irish version of the royal arms.
There is also no representation for Wales in the Royal Arms, as Wales was never a separate kingdom. However the dragon was used as a supporter on the Royal Arms by the Tudor Kings and Queens, reflecting that dynasty's Welsh origins.
External links
- Royal.gov.uk- Coat of Arms
- Number 10 Downing Street- Royal Coat of Arms
- Heraldica.org- The Royal Arms of Great Britain
Personal coats of arms | British coats of arms | British monarchy | National coats of arms
Wappen des Vereinigten Königreichs | イギリスの国章 | Suurbritannia vapp | Escudo del Reino Unido | Armes royales du Royaume-Uni | Stemma reale del Regno Unito | סמל הממלכה המאוחדת | Godło Wielkiej Brytanii | Stema regală a Regatului Unit | Краљевски грб Уједињеног Краљевства | Yhdistyneen kuningaskunnan vaakuna | Storbritanniens kungliga vapen | 英国皇家徽章
"Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom"