A songbird and sunshine: Meghan Markle's coat of arms unveiled

[demmiblue]

Source: CNN

London (CNN)The Duchess of Sussex has been bestowed with a coat of arms, days after her royal wedding to Prince Harry, Kensington Palace announced Friday.

Emblazoned with personal touches like the golden poppies from her home state, California, and wintersweet, which grows at her new residence, Kensington Palace, the coat of arms was designed by the College of Arms and approved by Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

The blue background of the shield itself represents the Pacific Ocean off the Californian coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the Golden State.

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

The figures on either side of the shield, known as supporters, are a songbird and a golden lion wearing a crown.

"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," Kensington Palace said in a statement. "The Supporter relating to The Duchess of Sussex is a songbird with wings elevated as if flying and an open beak, which with the quill represents the power of communication."

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/25/europe/duchess-sussex-meghan-markle-coat-of-arms-intl/index.html

[Goodheart]

1. I yawned at this.

[demmiblue]

2. Oh. n/t

[Goodheart]

4. I apologize.

I shouldn't have said anything... I find the notion of "royalty" utterly silly so made a bad joke, but I certainly don't fault anybody for taking pleasure in anything harmless in this short and precious life. For example, I just drew a yawn-inducing silly picture of my dog, Picasso style.

[demmiblue]

6. You should post it. n/t

[Goodheart]

7. I'm not falling for that! LOL

[demmiblue]

8. I had no ill intentions.

[canetoad]

29. Here's one I prepared earlier

I actually did this a couple of years ago and had it sitting on the computer. Dogs are Nelson, Willie and Rosie.

[kwassa]

40. True story. I was admiring "Guernica" in the Museum of Modern Art ...

A weekday in the 80s. Possibly the most famous painting of the 20th century.

I was alone in the gallery, except for the guard keeping his eye on me.

Then this middle age woman came sweeping around the corner, stopped in front of the painting, and in a thick Bronx accent, which I can barely imitate, said;

"They cawl this AHT? They cawl this AHT? My two year old nephew could do bettah than this!"

The guard and I burst out laughing. She looked indignant and charged away.

[brush]

45. I saw it there too. Breathtaking, and it took a long time to take it all in.

[canetoad]

50. Yep, heard that before

And you don't know whether to laugh or cry. The magnificent Jackson Pollock "Blue Poles" was at our State Gallery and I heard, "A kindergarten kid could do that." Bloody philistines!

[Goodheart]

61. Well, I love it.

My own took about four minutes and can't compare.

[Tipperary]

3. Interesting. Though I am not sure I like the crown around the songbird's neck lol.

Pretty coat of arms though.

[Dave Starsky]

12. That's because the crown chokes the songbird.

I can't think of any other reason why they'd put it there.

[CharleyDog]

15. Crown around the bird's neck

I was wondering the same thing. Why the crown around the bird's neck? Guessing... the duchess will never wear the crown, but she is now in the royal family, hence the crown is not on the head (?)

[calimary]

19. Welcome to DU, CharleyDog!

Not sure what that means. The Middletons got a coat-of-arms, too, for their Duchess Kate. It has acorns on it, reflecting the oak trees on the Middletons' estate. Her parents gave her a wedding gift of earrings with acorns suspended from little oak leaves and studded with little diamonds, reflecting the family's new coat-of-arms. Kinda sweet, I thought. But then again, the whole British royalty thing fascinates me (as do the fascinators!).

[catrose]

24. And a unicorn!

[lunatica]

28. It probably indicates that she doesn't have a title in her family

nothing nefarious is intended. Maybe it’s not on the dove’s head because it is specifically showing she married into royalty but did not come from a family that had a coat of arms.

[sarge43]

30. It's a coronet

Monarchs and queen consorts have crowns on their arms. Children of monarchs, children of the heir apparent and peers have coronets.

I believe you're essentially correct. As she is none of the above in her own right, but as the consort of a h. app the coronet could be displayed. It didn't have to be, but it is a nice touch.

[canetoad]

58. Correct!

It's Harry's Ducal coronet.

[Luz]

36. The lion has something on his neck too. Plus a crown. It does

look odd, though.

[lunatica]

27. It could be to show she isn't from a titled family

It would be interesting to see the coat of arms of commoners marrying into royalty or titled families have something similar.

The coat of arms is supposed to tell a story of that person that anyone can “read” and in this case who that person married, by combining features from both families. It has a reason to be created.

[anneboleyn]

38. Exactly. I'm a medievalist and the visual complexity of symbols like this during that period is just

fascinating. As you said a family had its history encoded in these oats of arms, and it is fascinating to look at major figures from this period, such as the astonishing “she-wolf” of France Eleanor of Aquitaine’s coat of arms and what it says about her history.

As people are saying Meghan herself won’t ever be queen so this representation of the crown is traditional. I love the California references — and a songbird for Meghan is beautiful.

[lunatica]

41. Out of curiosity can you tell me if

there are other coats of arms of similar marriages and how the crown is depicted on the commoner’ side?

[tammywammy]

54. Here's an article comparing Catherine's and Meghan's.

https://www.ok.co.uk/royal/latest/1382418/kate-middleton-coat-of-arms-how-duchess-of-cambridge-meghan-markle-duchess-of-sussex

And here's an article comparing a few different ones.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/965188/meghan-markle-coat-of-arms-pictures-Princess-Diana-Kate-Middleton-royal-news

[lunatica]

56. Thanks!

British history is quite interesting.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

34. I saw it as restraint, or deference to the Crown.

Choking the bird, so to speak.

........

[Yavin4]

5. House Arryn & House Lannister??? n/t

[eShirl]

10. or Baelish?

[anneboleyn]

13. No more Baelish (show anyway -- who knows if George ever finishes another book)

[Yavin4]

53. He won't ever finish the books.

The show will do that for him. There will forever be a bitter divide among the fans.

[anneboleyn]

9. Well, I love it. I study medieval literature so I have always loved the pageantry of coats of arms

— there are fascinating appearances of coats of arms, family sigils, in medieval history and literature. The visual symbolism is very sophisticated.

This is very pretty and the California twist is cool! This (the beautiful wedding) has been about the only thing making me happy recently since the news is so fcking depressing so thank you!

[Wwcd]

11. I love all it represents, from traditional to the inclusion of the personal in Markel herself.

It's honorable, beautiful & just very cool!

Well done Duchess

[calimary]

20. That California touch is REALLY nice!

I think we ALL needed that pleasant, entertaining, and genuinely happy diversion - from these grim times holding us hostage. It was a real joy watching all those hours of live television - and not a SINGLE mention of donald trump. Can you say "RELIEF!!!!" Not ONE WORD! He probably hated it, especially having not been invited. And that just makes it all the better.

[sarge43]

31. Heraldry has been called the short hand of history

You're right. When you how to read them, arms can tell you a lot. The Spanish royal arms are precis of Spanish history.

[lunatica]

14. I'm not against royalty in any way

But it strikes me as funny in my own twisted way to think that Meghan Merkle is sacrificing a life of possible interesting debauchery for a stiff upper lip future as Princess. Dull Glam or Fabulous Fun?

[erronis]

16. Not that I would know, but I've heard that "royals" have known a bit of debauchery in their lives...

[lunatica]

18. Yeah, but would they grace the front page of rags and

Last edited Fri May 25, 2018, 06:23 PM - Edit history (1)

have the world drag them through every kind of scandal if they could just debauch freely?

[Silver Gaia]

21. I don't think she is sacrificing anything.

Her choices in the wedding ceremony made that clear to me. The Queen obviously accepts her for who she is and seems to adore her (she even let Megan's doggie ride in her car!). I think Megan's role will be not to stiffen her own upper lip, but to soften theirs, and I think the Queen approves. (The young Queen portrayed in "The Crown" often questioned tradition and did her best to toss off its yoke.) And all of that aside, she is truly in love with Harry and he with her. (And that in itself spits in the eye of royal tradition.)

[lunatica]

25. Maybe you're right

I was just expressing a bit of my twisted humor. I did include that disclaimer.

[Silver Gaia]

17. I love it, too!

I find it interesting that they chose to honor not the country of her birth, but the state she is from. The touches this choice lends are bright and pretty, like the woman herself, and soften the overall aura of the shield. I, too, am unsure why they chose to place the crown around the bird's neck rather than upon its head. That's the only part I feel looks odd, though.

[Hekate]

22. This is really quite charming. Meghan & Harry's wedding has been the one bright spot...

...in an unutterably dreary day after day news cycle.

[murielm99]

37. Yes.

I think we all needed this. And I have no problem with British royalty. Let people have their traditions. The royal family actually brings in a lot of tourist money for GB.

[msongs]

23. next she can get a star named after her, registered in the copyright office in

book form

[GulfCoast66]

39. I see what you did there...

And totally approve!!

[Hekate]

26. I'm trying to research the bird's crown, but the best I can come up with so far is "dignity"

It's an arcane subject.

[Lucinda]

33. I believe the crown at the neck is a very direct symbol.

The balance of her supporter (the feathers for communication, the open beak of the song bird, the wings showing the bird about to take flight) are all about actively using her position to champion the causes she chooses. The crown, rather than sitting decoratively on the birds head, is drawing attention to the throat - another indicator that she will actively use her royal status to speak for what she believes in.

[Hekate]

42. Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. nt

[Silver Gaia]

47. Good points! Yes, that makes sense. Thank you.

[tammywammy]

55. The crown at the neck is in all these royal coat of arms

https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/965188/meghan-markle-coat-of-arms-pictures-Princess-Diana-Kate-Middleton-royal-news

I don't think it symbolizes anything. Probably just that it's more flattering there than at the top of the animal's head.

[appalachiablue]

32. Very nice, I love the references to the Golden State California.

But no symbols for the (lost) US, 'the American Colonies.' Lol.

[Raine]

44. Me too

and being a native Californian myself it's very nice to see my state represented.

[Silver Gaia]

48. I'm not a native Californian, but I am a Californian by choice.

I love it, too!

[appalachiablue]

49. It's so appropriate now with The Golden State in A Golden Age, truly!

Good for California!

[Lucinda]

35. I mentioned in post 33 what I think the crown at the neck means, and I LOVE the wintersweet

I think the flower has very personal, and romantic, meaning for Meghan and Harry.
One report said that it grows in their garden at Nottingham Cottage. Harry picked springs of the greenery to put in her bridal bouquet and now we see it again in a prominent place on this really beautiful coat of arms.

[BobTheSubgenius]

43. Despite my ambivalence to the Royals and all that implies,

I quite like this story of Megan and her Prince. Very fairytale.

[Raine]

46. Very cool, beautiful and unlike

Trump's it's Meghan's own that she's entitled to she didn't steal someone else's.

[Donkees]

51. Coat of Arms of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Charles, Prince of Wales :)

Coat of Arms of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of Charles, Prince of Wales (2005-present)

[Raine]

52. Interesting ... very fierce

doesn't have the beautiful and gentleness of Meghan's. The boar being chained with the crown around the neck to the land definitely means something.

[tammywammy]

57. The blue boar is taken from her father's coat of arms. n/t

[Raine]

59. Thanks for that info