Coat of arms of the Prince of Wales

Escutcheon of the Prince of Wales

### **Crest**

*The royal crest of England differenced with a label of three points argent but with the coronets those of the heir apparent*; gold and ermine mantling.

### **Blazon**

*The Royal Arms differenced by a label of three points argent overall an inescutcheon quarterly gules and or, four lions passant guardant counterchanged* (for the Principality of Wales / Llywelyn the Great ensigned by the coronet of his degree)

### **Supporters**

A golden lion, wearing the coronet of the Heir apparent, and a silver unicorn, both differenced with a white label of three points.

### **Other elements**

Badges: Prince of Wales's feathers, Welsh dragon with a white label of three points and crowned escutcheon of the Duchy of Cornwall.

The **coat of arms of the Prince of Wales** is the official heraldic insignia of the Prince of Wales, a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to 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.

The coat of arms, in its current form, was devised for Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1958. It contains the badges and elements taken from all four of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom as well as from the many titles the prince holds as heir apparent.

The history of the coat of arms is closely linked with those of the Royal coat of arms of England and the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. However, as the noted antiquarian and heraldist Charles Boutell wrote in 1863, "The Arms of the Prince of Wales have a distinct individuality of their own, with which nothing ought to be directly associated."

## Elements

### Coronet

The coronets of the Prince and the Peers of the realm were regulated by King Charles II by Royal Warrant, signed on 9 February 1661. Part of the warrant proclaimed: "Our Will and Pleasure therefore is, That the Son and Heir Apparent of the Crown for the time being, shall use and bear his Coronet composed of Crosses and Flower-de-Lized with one Arch; and in the midst a Ball and Cross, as hath our Royal Diadem".

In other words, the heraldic coronet used in the Prince of Wales's coat of arms is similar to the heraldic crown (St. Edward's crown) used in the Royal arms, except that instead of two intersecting arches it has only one. Boutell wrote that: "It should be noticed, however, that this coronet belongs to the prince as eldest son of the Sovereign and heir-apparent to the Throne, and not as Prince of Wales". The coronet is also used by the Prince of Wales's consort, in her coat of arms.

The heir's coronet was confirmed in another Royal Warrant signed on 19 November 1917 by King George V. The warrant proclaimed: "by the son and heir apparent of the sovereign and his successors a coronet composed of crosses and fleurs-de-lis with one arch and in the midst a ball and cross as in the royal crown."

Currently there are three physical examples of coronets used at one time or other as part of the Honours of the Principality of Wales: the Coronet of Frederick, the Coronet of George and the Coronet of Charles. However, these physical manifestations have not affected the graphical representation of the coronet in heraldic art.

### Label

Beginning with the reign of King Edward I, a label of three points Azure (or blue) was used by his son, the future King Edward II, to differentiate his arms from those of his father. Without such a label their arms would be identical. Within heraldry this system of differentiating arms is called cadency. The label is placed on the chief (or top) of the shield of arms, with the ends extending across from the dexter to the sinister sides of the shield. It was Prince Edward the Black Prince, heir of King Edward III, who first used a label of three points Argent, also white or silver. This has been the label of the heir apparent ever since, without regard to the system of cadency used by other members of the royal family.

### Crest

The Prince of Wales's crest follows closely that of the Sovereign, but always with the appropriate label of difference displayed. This crest depicts a "Lion Or, passant guardant, wearing a coronet of the Heir, and differenced on the shoulders with a label of three points Argent." The lion always stands on a larger coronet of the Heir, which then sits on a golden helmet or the Royal Helm. From the sides flow the gold and ermine mantling of the royal family.

### Supporters

Similarly to the crest, the prince's supporters follow those of the Sovereign. On either side of the shield of arms and standing on gold scrollwork are the royal supporters: the Lion and the Unicorn. Both beasts have the prince's label charged around their necks, again as an appropriate mark of difference. The lion on the dexter side, an ancient symbol of England, is crowned with the coronet of the Heir. The beast has been a supporter of the English royal arms since the reign of King Henry VIII. The white unicorn of Scotland on the sinister side was incorporated into the royal arms from the Scottish royal arms after the Union of the crowns in 1603.

### Order

Prince Charles was appointed a Knight of the Garter in 1958. Since the founding of the Order in 1348, almost every Prince of Wales has been appointed to the Order. The Order of the Garter is represented in the coat of arms by its namesake the blue buckled garter, which bears in gold letters the motto *Honi soit qui mal y pense*, French for "Shame upon him who thinks evil of it".

### Motto

Under the coat of arms is a scroll bearing the motto *Ich dien*, German for "I serve". The motto of uncertain origin first appeared on the arms of Edward of Woodstock, or the Black Prince. Prince Edward was created Prince of Wales by his father King Edward III on 12 May 1343. Legend holds that the Black Prince took the motto as well as the ostrich feathers from King John the Blind of Bohemia, who was killed fighting alongside the prince and his father at the Battle of Crécy in 1346. The motto is also a near homophone for *Eich Dyn*, "Your Man" in Welsh.

### Badges

The Prince of Wales as part of his full achievement of arms has many Heraldic badges, which represent the history and sovereignty of his many titles.

#### Prince of Wales' feathers

*Main article: Prince of Wales's feathers*
The Prince of Wales's feathers badge comprises "a plume of three ostrich feathers Argent enfiled by a royal coronet of alternate crosses and fleur-de-lys Or" with the motto "Ich Dien" on a dark blue ribbon. The badge is probably the most recognisable element of the Prince of Wales's heraldic achievement as a personal insignia of the prince and also of the Principality of Wales itself. In a personal capacity the badge is granted as a Royal Warrant of Appointment to companies that regularly supply goods and services to the Prince. Currently there are 170 companies which are entitled to display this badge with the words "By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales" underneath. The badge can be depicted on all premises, delivery vehicles, stationery and advertisements as well as on the individual products themselves. Other organisations associated with Wales or the Prince incorporate the badge into their own insignia including many Welsh regiments of the British Army (such as the Royal Regiment of Wales) and the Welsh Rugby Union.

Feathers used as either a crest or a badge have been an ancient heraldic badge of the House of Plantagenet. However, it was not until its incorporation into the heraldic achievements of the Black Prince that the feathers have become an omnipresent feature of the coats of arms of the Prince of Wales.

#### Red Dragon of Wales

*Main article: Royal Badge of Wales*
On 10 December 1901 a warrant signed by King Edward VII approved the addition of a badge of the Red Dragon to the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales. The proclamation specified "on the sinister side a representation of the Badge of Wales, namely, on a mount vert a Dragon, passant gules, differenced (as in the Crest) with a label of three points argent." This was to complement the feathers badge, which was to be depicted on the dexter side of the prince's crest.

The Red Dragon, or *Y Ddraig Goch*, has been a symbol associated with Wales since the time of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd in the 7th century. It was not until the beginning of the House of Tudor that the Red Dragon became a royal badge of the kings of England. Henry Tudor (later King Henry VII) displayed the Dragon of Cadwaladr on his battle standard. The red dragon became an official royal badge of the sovereign (representing Wales) according to a warrant issued in 1801. The warrant at the same time also confirmed the Tudor rose as a royal badge for England, the thistle for Scotland and the golden harp for Ireland.

#### Arms of the Duchy of Cornwall

*Main article: Duke of Cornwall*
The arms of the Duke of Cornwall are: "Sable, fifteen bezants, five, four, three, two and one." These arms were derived from those of Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, King of the Romans, son and heir of King John, who was also Count of Poitiers (or Poitou), represented by arms made up of peas (**Lua error in Module:Unicode\_data at line 15: attempt to call field 'length' (a nil value).**) or gold coins.

Upon the accession of the prince's mother as Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952, Prince Charles was automatically made the Duke of Cornwall. As such he is able to display the arms of the duchy on his coat of arms. This title has been granted to every heir apparent since 17 March 1337, in accordance with a charter issued by King Edward III for his eldest son and heir Edward the Black Prince. A royal warrant of 21 June 1968 augmented this arms with two supporters "on either side, a Cornish chough proper supporting an ostrich feather Argent, penned Or", and a motto: "*Houmont*" (or *Houmout*), meaning courage.

## Family

### Consorts

The family of the Prince of Wales is entitled to use certain heraldic features. The consort of the Prince of Wales (titled the Princess of Wales) is granted a unique coat of arms upon marriage, based on the impaling of the prince's arms (on the dexter side) and her father's arms (on the sinister side). The consort is also entitled to use the prince's supporters (with the appropriate label) and the use of the prince's coronet over the arms. The current consort, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was granted a coat of arms on 17 July 2005 upon her marriage to Charles, Prince of Wales.

### Children

The children of the heir apparent were given their own distinct coronet, unlike any other grandchildren of the sovereign. This was confirmed in the 1917 Royal Warrant, which proclaimed: *"to all the sons and daughters of the son and heir apparent of us and of our successors a coronet composed of two crosses pattée (or crosses formy), four fleurs-de-lis and two strawberry leaves."* The wives of the sons of the Prince of Wales use the same coronet as their husbands, for example, the arms borne by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, which were granted to her in 2011.

## See also

* Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
* Royal coat of arms of Scotland
* Royal Badge of Wales
* Prince of Wales
* Duke of Rothesay
* Duke of Cornwall
* Coat of arms of the Prince of Asturias
* Cornish heraldry

## References

1. ↑ Crest of England of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom: *Upon the royal helmet the royal crown proper thereon statant guardant or a lion imperially crowned also proper*
2. ↑ Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.24
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Titles and Heraldry: Coat of Arms. *Official website of the Prince of Wales*. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.
4. ↑ Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.24
5. ↑ Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.24
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Boutell p. 256
7. ↑ Warrant of Feb 9, 1661. *www.heraldica.org*. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Boutell p. 363
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Warrant of 19 Nov 1917. *www.heraldica.org*. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.
10. ↑ Honours of the Principality of Wales.
11. ↑ Boutell p. 187
12. ↑ Boutell p. 265
13. ↑ Scott-Giles p. 75
14. ↑ Titles and Heraldry: Prince of Wales's Feathers. *Official website of the Prince of Wales*. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.
15. ↑ Titles and Heraldry: Royal Warrants. *Official website of the Prince of Wales*. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.
16. ↑ Scott-Giles p. 18
17. ↑ Scott-Giles pp. 89–93

	1. REDIRECT Template:London\_Gazette
19. ↑ Ashburner, Robin (2001). Flags in Wales.
20. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 216
21. ↑ Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1915). The Book Of Public Arms. A Complete Encyclopaedia Of All Royal, Territorial, Municipal, Corporate, Official, And Impersonal Arms pp. 210. T. C. & E. C. Jack.
22. ↑ Scott-Giles p. 70
23. ↑ Burke's Peerage (1973). Burke's guide to the Royal Family (Burke's genealogical series) pp. 137. Burke's Peerage; 1st edition.
24. ↑ Burke's Peerage (1914). Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage pp. 16. Burke's Peerage.
25. ↑ Briggs, Geoffrey (1971). Civic & Corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales, & N. Ireland (en) pp. 122. Heraldry Today.
26. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 273
27. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 173
28. ↑ Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s outlawed lions return on coat of arms (2018-03-01).
29. ↑ Scott-Giles p. 74
30. ↑ The Siege of Caerlaverock. *The Heraldry Society*. Retrieved on 2018-10-09.
31. ↑ Thomas Wright (antiquarian) (1864). The Roll of Arms of the Princes, Barons, and Knights who Attended King Edward I to the Siege of Caerlaverock, in 1300 pp. 18. J.C. Hotten.
32. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 48
33. ↑ Boutell p. 191
34. ↑ Brooke-Little p.77
35. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 61
36. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 94
37. ↑ Pinces & Pinces p. 124
38. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 139
39. ↑ Pinces & Pinces pp. 170-189
40. ↑ Pinces & Pinces pp. 206-229
41. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 229
42. ↑ Aveling p. 287
43. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 259
44. ↑ Fox-Davies (1909) p. 486
45. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 265

	1. REDIRECT Template:London\_Gazette
47. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 273
48. ↑ Pinches & Pinches p. 280
49. ↑ HRH The Duchess of Cornwall: Titles and Heraldry. *Official website of the Prince of Wales*. Retrieved on 2018-10-09.
50. ↑ The Coat of Arms of HRH Prince William of Wales. *Official website of the College of Arms*. Retrieved on 2018-10-09.
51. ↑ Coat of Arms of Duchess of Cambridge. dukeandduchessofcambridge.org (14 November 2012). Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved on 2018-08-10.

## Bibliography

* Aveling, S. T. (1890). Heraldry: Ancient and Modern including Boutell's Heraldry. Frederick Warne and Co..
* Charles Boutell (1863). A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular. Windsor And Newton.
* John Brooke-Little (1978). . Frederick Warne LTD.
* Arthur Charles Fox-Davies (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. T.C. & E.C. Jack.
* John Pinches (1974). . Hollen Street Press.
* Wilfrid Scott-Giles (1967). . J.M. Dent & Sons.

## Links

* Titles and Heraldry at the Official website of the Prince of Wales