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 California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the Golden State.
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.”
The duchess worked closely with the College of Arms to design the coat of arms to be both “personal and representative.”
“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,” Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms, said.