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It’s been almost a week since Meghan Markle official became the Duchess of Sussex. In these last few days, a lot has changed for Meghan. Besides the obvious of having a royal title, Meghan now has to abide by numerous archaic rules. Along with being royal, she gets her own coat of arms, that was released today.
Kensington Palace shared a photo of her crest on Twitter. It shows a shield on a bed of grass being held up by a lion and a dove.
A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex: https://t.co/mJb3mqZfaZ pic.twitter.com/0EgbiS29Rb
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 25, 2018
According to the press release, the design has been approved by the Queen and the Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England, Thomas Woodcock. Meghan worked closely with the College of Arms in the design of her Coat of Arms.
Everything in the Coat of Arms has a meaning, let’s break down exactly what everything in Meghan’s Coat of Arms means.
The Blue Shield
According to the press released from the Royals, the blue background of the shield is to represent to the Pacific Ocean. Meghan is from California, so it’s honoring her home state.
Inside The Shield
The two golden rays going across the right side of the shield are to represent sun rays, which is significant of California. The three quills on either side of the rays are to represent “communication and the power of words.”
Outside The Shield
The grass that the shield is resting on holds a lot of meaning. The flowers growing on the batch of grass are poppies, California’s state flower, and wintersweets, a flower that grows at Kensington Palace.
The Supporters
As someone who isn’t familiar with crests and Coats of Arms, it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that the supporters are just the official word for the animals who are holding up either side of the shield.
The lion on the left side is representative of Prince Harry, Meghan’s husband. “It is customary for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to Members of the Royal Family, and for wives of Members of the Royal Family to have one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves,” the press release states.
The songbird on the left is Meghan’s supporter. The songbird’s wings and beak are open to represent communication, like the quills.
The Crown
The Coronet on top of the shield has been specifically assigned to Meghan. According to the press release, “It is the Coronet laid down by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the Heir Apparent.”
The Coronet is made up of two crosses patée, four fleurs-de-lis and two strawberry leaves.
