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| Arms of Meghan Markley, now Duchess of Sussex. |
The Duchess of Sussex Arms
The blue (azure) background of the sinister side of the dimidiated shield represents the Pacific Ocean, which bounds the Californian coast.
The two golden (or) rays across the shield symbolize the sunshine of The Duchess’s home state that she has sacrificed, in exchange for the chance to spend time in Windsor Castle and other royal residences.
The three quills represent communication, which the Duchess of Sussex is good at (she was an actress). Beneath the shield on the grass are flowers, including golden poppies, California’s state flower. The sinister supporter is a songbird with open mouth, indicating again the beauty and power of words.
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| Arms of Geoffrey of Anjou. |
The earliest recorded initiation of a royal coat of arms was on June 10, 1128, when Geoffrey Plantagenet was presented by his father-in-law, King Henry I of England in Rouen, France with a blue shield bearing six gold (or) lions rampant (see shield at left).
The occasion was of international significance. Geoffrey was French. He was knighted by King Henry I, the English father of his bride Matilda. Their son became Henry II of England.
Matilda was the daughter of Edith of Scotland and the widow of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Thus three royal lines were united with England – Scotland, France and the Holy Roman Empire.
This is the oldest record of an initiation of international royal arms, although coats of arms are recorded in the Bayeux tapestry after the invasion of William I of England, and royal arms are attributed posthumously to Edward the Confessor (a blue field with golden martlets around a golden cross).
Geoffrey of Anjou is considered the first person known to have been given arms in an armigerous royal family. For this reason, June 10 is registered on the International Day Calendar by Kathy McClurg as International Heraldry Day. She is a member of the IAAH, the International Association of Amateur Heralds.
The French Royal Succession
My friend Paul Walton has just sent me a family tree of the French Capet-Valois-Bourbon royal succession (Anjou became a cadet branch.) The tree shows how difficult it can get to differentiate royals when they have a big family. Some of the differences are discretely ingenious, some seem to obliterate the shield. The Duchess of Sussex has a more meaningfully designed coat of arms.
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| Heraldic Differencing of the French Royal Family in the 18th and 19th centuries. |
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