Newly married Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has officially received her own coat of arms and the design not only makes a statement, it matches her
Newly married Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has officially received her own coat of arms and the design not only makes a statement, it matches her personality. Originally, the coat of arms is customarily given to the bride’s father prior to a royal wedding. But Meghan receiving one herself is yet another way she has broken with tradition The design isn’t based on Meghan’s family name, as the Coat of Arms usually is, but just on her and her husband, Prince Harry.
She reportedly helped select the symbols along with the College of Arms, and every detail says something about her. The golden rays symbolize the sun of her home city Los Angeles, and the blue background represents the nearby Pacific Ocean. There are three feather quills against the blue, which symbolize communication — suiting for a Duchess who uses her voice to advocate for women’s rights and other causes. The animals supporting the shield are a bird with an open beak (possibly also representing Meghan’s influential voice), and a lion in 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. 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, Kensington Palace said in a statement.
Under the shield is the California’s state flower: golden poppies, and Kensington Palace’s flower: wintersweet, giving a visual form to Meghan and Prince Harry‘s union. These same flowers were in Meghan’s wedding veil.
