Kensington Palace have revealed Meghan Markle's very own Coat of Arms. The design behind the Arms was agreed and approved by the Queen as well as Thomas Woodcock, who is the Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England. The new Duchess of Sussex worked closely with the College of Arms to get the design just right, and is both personal and representative of the royal family. According to Kensington Palace's website: "The blue background of the shield represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of The Duchess's home state. The three quills represent communication and the power of words." The Arms are a break in tradition as they do not represent Meghan's side of the family.
© Photo: TwitterMeghan's new Coat of Arms
The Arms also include a collection of golden poppies, California's state flower, and wintersweet, a flower which grows at Kensington Palace. According to the site, it is customary when creating Arms for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to the royal family, and for wives of the royal family to have one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves. As such, the Supporter for the Duchess of Sussex's new Arms is a songbird and an open beak as well as a quill, which "represents the power of communication".
READ: Revealed: how to get Meghan Markle's bridal eyebrows
Speaking about the design, Thomas said: "The Duchess of Sussex took a great interest in the design. Good heraldic design is nearly always simple and the Arms of The Duchess of Sussex stand well beside the historic beauty of the quartered British Royal Arms. Heraldry as a means of identification has flourished in Europe for almost nine hundred years and is associated with both individual people and great corporate bodies such as Cities, Universities and for instance the Livery Companies in the City of London. "
Meghan's official cypher was also revealed
READ: Meghan Markle will have to curtsy to Kate Middleton – just not yet!
Prince Harry's Coat of Arms
Prince Harry's Coat of Arms was given to him to celebrate his 18th birthday. His is based on the quartered arms of England, Scotland and Ireland, features a lion and a unicorn on either side of the shield, and is topped by a coronet and a second, smaller lion. Diana, Princess of Wales' family is also represented in his Arms by small, red escallops which appear on the white collars worn by the lions, unicorn and shield. See his Coat of Arms here.
