The Royal Coat of Arms for the United Kingdom is the coat of arms used by the British monarchy. This is only the coat of arms used by the Queen, or reigning monarch; other members of the royal family have a separate coat of arms that varies to some degree from hers.
The Royal Coat of Arms has a shield that is quartered. The first and fourth quarters are identical and show the three passant guardian lions that are of England; the second quarter reveals a rampant lion and the double tressure fluery-counter-fleury that belongs to Scotland; the third quarter symbolizes Ireland, with a harp. The crest of the Royal Coat of Arms is a lion wearing the Imperial crown.
The Royal Coat of Arms is the national symbol of the United Kingdom and therefore can be found on many government documents such as passports. Something interesting to note is that, when used by the government rather than by the sovereign, the Royal Coat of Arms does not bear the helm.
The Royal Coat of Arms came into being in 1399 under King Henry IV. Since then it has been ratified to include various arms from other countries but has also been brought back to the design used by King Henry IV. It currently combines the arms of the nations that make up the United Kingdom. The present Royal Coat of Arms has been in use since 1837 and still contains the harp of the Kingdom of Ireland even though they were partitioned in 1921 and left the British Commonwealth in 1948. The royal Coat of Arms has undergone over twenty changes since its induction.
You can find the Royal Coat of Arms in every court other than the magistrate courts in London. Judges are official representatives of the crown, and this is evidenced by the Queen’s Royal Coat of Arms.
Many of the coins produced by the Royal Mint have had the Royal Coat of Arms on them. In fact, in 2008 an entirely new set of seven coins, each under one pound, was put into circulation by the Royal Mint and each one bears the Royal Coat of Arms.
All businesses that supply the royal household may receive what is known as the Royal Warrant. This is given by the Queen and allows that business to use the Royal Coat of Arms on their business stationery and any packaging.
British Royal Family members receive their own personalized version of the Royal Coat of Arms to use. Children and grandchildren of the monarchy’s male line are able to receive their own arms this way. The children receive a three-point label on their arms, and the grandchildren receive a five-point label. There is only one exception to this and this is for the eldest male child of the Prince of Wales, who receives a three-point label. The Prince of Wales has an additional variation on his coat of arms, an escutcheon from the ancient arms that belonged to the Principality of Wales.
