The Meaning Behind Meghan Markle’s New Coat of Arms

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19 2018 in the year’s most talked-about nuptials.

And if bagging herself a Prince wasn’t enough, Meghan Markle has had a fancy coat of arms designed especially for her.

After weeks of speculation over whether Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr. would receive a family coat of arms as Michael Middleton did in the lead up to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011, Kensington Palace has shared the news that Meghan Markle has received her own heraldic design.

Just days after Meghan Markle‘s royal wedding to Prince Harry, the newly minted Duchess of Sussex has received a very special gift: a coat of arms.

The traditional design, customized with colors and symbols, is typically given to the father of the bride just ahead of a royal wedding, but amid the drama surrounding Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, in the lead-up to the royal wedding, the decision has been made to give the coat of arms directly to Meghan herself, which is a total break in royal tradition.

It’s also a break in tradition not to have the bride’s family name represented in the design. Kate Middleton‘s coat of arms not only reflected the Middleton family, but also her mother Carole’s maiden name.

“The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by The Queen and Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London,” royal reporter Omid Scobie wrote on Twitter. The press release for the announcement also gave the first glimpse of Markle’s official letterhead as a royal.

It comes after Meghan stepped out at Prince Charles’s 70th birthday party donning the Essential Line Bracelet from Cartier. People were quick to point out that it’s the first time she’s worn it, suggesting she received it on her wedding night.

Duchess Meghan worked with the College of Arms on the coat of arms, which features visual references to not only California, but also to her home with Prince Harry in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.

“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,” reads a statement from Kensington Palace.

“Beneath the shield on the grass sits a collection of golden poppies, California’s state flower, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace.”

Clearly, the poppy and wintersweet are two symbols that the Duchess finds meaningful. They were also among the images embroidered on her wedding veil.

Meghan worked closely with the College of Arms to create a design that was both personal and representative. The blue background of the shield represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles.

The three quills represent communication and the power of words, a possible reflection of Meghan’s outspoken activism and her former lifestyle blog, The Tig.

He continued, “They were very gracious. I did provide a copy of the manuscript about a week before…and I only deviated slightly – [being a preacher] you’re gonna deviate a little bit. They were basically aware of the basic outline and what was in it.”

“The love between those two people, between that royal couple, was so powerful, not only did we all show up, but it brought all these different worlds together. It brought different nationalities, different ethnicities, different religious traditions, people of all stripes and types, people of different political persuasions, actually for a moment we were actually together, organized around love.”