The Royal Arms as used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
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
Scotland Office.
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, symbolising
Scotland. According to legend a free
unicorn was considered a very dangerous beast; therefore the heraldic unicorn is chained, as were both supporting unicorns in the
Royal coat of arms of Scotland.
The coat features both the
motto of
English 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 armed and langued Azure (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 Or 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
Main articles: Royal Coat of Arms of 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 atop the
Crown of Scotland is a red lion, seated and forward facing, itself wearing the Crown of Scotland and holding the two remaining elements of the
Honours of Scotland, namely the Sword of State and the Sceptre of Scotland. This was the crest used in the Royal Arms of the
Kingdom of Scotland. A motto also appears above the crest which is taken from the battle cry 'In My Defens, God Me Defend', abbreviated to 'In Defens'.
The supporters change sides and both appear wearing the crowns of their respective Kingdom. The
dexter supporter is a crowned and chained unicorn, symbolising Scotland. The
sinister supporter is a crowned lion, symbolising England. Between each supporter and the shield is a lance displaying the flag of their respective Kingdom.
The coat features both the motto ''
Nemo me impune lacessit'' (No-one wounds (touches) me with impunity) and the insignia of the
Order of the Thistle around the shield.
Other nations in the United Kingdom
The official Irish royal crest (''on a wreath Or and Azure, a tower triple-towered of the First, from the portal a hart springing Argent attired and unguled 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. In the past, the Welsh
dragon was used as a supporter on the Royal Arms by the
Tudor Kings and Queens, reflecting that dynasty's Welsh origins. Today, the
arms of the principality of Wales appear as an inescutcheon on the coat of arms of the
Prince of Wales, and a banner of those arms with a green inescutcheon bearing the Prince of Wales' crown is flown as his royal standard in Wales.
Uses
The Royal Arms as shown above may only be used by the Queen herself. 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 British Government also uses the Royal Coat of Arms as a National symbol of the United Kingdom, and, in that capacity, the Coat of Arms can be seen on several Government Documents and forms, passports, in the entrance to embassies and consulates, etc. However, when used by the Government and not by the Sovereign herself, the coat of arms is usually represented without the helm. This is also the case with the Sovereign's Scottish arms, a version of which is used by both the
Scottish Executive and the
Scotland Office.
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 royal residences such as
Buckingham Palace, the Queen's main residence, the Royal Standard is flown when she is in residence. When she is not either the
Union Flag or the ancient
Royal Standard of Scotland, (at Scottish residences), is flown.
The Royal Arms is also a symbol for all the courts in
British Columbia, Canada.
[1]
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.
| 'The Union of the Crowns places England, Ireland and Scotland under one monarch' | | Arms | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|
| | 1603 - 1689 | King James VI of Scotland inherits the English and Irish thrones in 1603 (Union of the Crowns), and quarters the Royal Arms of England with those of Scotland. For the first time, the Royal Coat of Arms of Ireland is added to represent the Kingdom of Ireland. English version of the arms of the Scottish, which were a version of those held by his mother and her first two husbands. | | | 1689 - 1702 | King James II & VII is deposed and replaced with his daughter Mary and her husband, William, Prince of Orange ruling jointly as William III & II and Mary II. An escutcheon of Nassau (the royal house to which William belonged) was added (a golden lion rampant on a blue field). | | | 1702 - 1707 | Queen Anne inherits the throne upon the death of King William III & II, and the Royal Arms return to the 1603 version | | | 1707 - 1714 | The Acts of Union 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707-1800). The Royal Arms of England and Scotland are impaled and moved to the first and fourth quarters, France second quarter and Ireland third quarter. | | | 1714 - 1801 | The Elector of Hanover inherits the throne following the death of Queen Anne under the provisions of the Act of Settlement 1701, becoming King George I. The fourth quarter of the arms is changed to reflect the new King's domains in Hanover (Brunswick-Lüneburg-Westphalia, surmounted by Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire for the Holy Roman office of Archbannerbearer/Archtreasurer). | | | 1801 - 1837 | The Act of Union 1801 unites the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. King George III drops the ancient claim to the French throne. The Royal Arms change, with England now occuping the first and fourth quarters, Scotland the second, Ireland the third. For the Electorate of Hanover, there is an inescutcheon surmounted by the electoral bonnet. This is replaced in 1816 by a Royal Crown when Hanover was declared a Kingdom. | | 1837 - present | The accession of Queen Victoria ends the personal union between the UK and Hanover, as Salic law prevents a woman ascending the Hanoverian throne. The escutcheon of Hanover is removed and the Royal Arms remain the same. There is 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 remains despite partition in 1921 and the successor to the Irish Free State, the Republic of Ireland, leaving the British Commonwealth in 1948. The Royal Arms do not incorporate any specific element for Northern Ireland or Wales, neither being a Kingdom. Consisting of six of the nine counties of Ulster (a Province of the Kingdom of Ireland), Northern Ireland remains an administrative division of the UK. Wales, once an independent Principality, following English conquest falls within the Kingdom of England. However, the Prince of Wales places arms for Wales at the centre of his personal arms. (A separate version of the Royal Arms are used in Scotland). |
|
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
[2])
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/Standard | Royal | Details |
|---|---|---|
| – | HRH The Prince of Wales | Plain three-point label, and inescutcheon of the Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales |
| HRH Prince William of Wales | Three-point label with a red escallop, alluding to the arms of his mother, Lady Diana Spencer |
| – | HRH Prince Henry of Wales | Five-point label with three red escallops in alternate points |
| – | HRH The Duke of York | Three-point label, the centre point bearing a blue anchor |
| – | HRH Princess Beatrice of York | Five-point label with three Bees in alternate points |
| HRH The Earl of Wessex | Three-point label, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose |
| HRH The Princess Royal | Three-point label, the points bearing a red cross, a red heart and a red cross |
| – | HRH The 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 |
| – | HRH The 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 |
| – | HRH 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. |
| – | HRH Princess Alexandra | Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a red heart, the second and fourth points bearing a blue anchor. |
| 'Consorts' |
| HRH The Duchess of Cornwall | The arms of the Prince of Wales impaled with those of her father, Major Bruce Shand |
| HRH The Countess of Wessex | The arms of the Earl of Wessex impaled with her own personal arms |
Government
British Government
Scottish Executive & Scotland Office
uses a version of the Royal Arms but without the helm or crest. In relation to Scotland, the
Scotland Office uses the Scottish version, again without the
helm or
crest, and the same was used as the day-to-day logo of the
Scottish Executive until a
rebranding exercise in September 2007. In both arms, the crown sits directly on the shield
The 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;
★
Ministry of Justice
★
Scotland Office (Scottish version)
★ A version of the crest of the Royal Arms as used in Scotland is used by the
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
★ 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.
★ As the symbol of the
Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada.
[3]
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 gardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure | Or a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules |
| II | Or a lion rampant Gules armed and langued Azure within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules | Gules three lions passant gardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure |
| III | Azure a harp Or stringed Argent | Azure a harp Or stringed Argent |
| Surrounded by | The Garter (with the words ''Honi soit qui mal y pense'') | 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 Proper | Upon the Royal helm the crown of Scotland Proper, thereon a lion sejant affronté Gules armed and langued Azure, Royally crowned Proper holding in his dexter paw a sword and in his sinister a sceptre, both Proper |
| Supporters |  Lion of England, seen in the Kew Gardens, London |  a statue of a Unicorn, seen in St Stephen's Chapel, Westminster Palace, London |
| Motto | Dieu et mon Droit | Nemo me impune lacessit |
| War-cry | | In My Defens God Me Defend, abbr. In Defens |
See also
★
Coat of arms of Canada
External links
★
Royal.gov.uk- Coat of Arms
★
Number 10 Downing Street- Royal Coat of Arms
★
Heraldica.org- The Royal Arms of Great Britain
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