The Duchess of Cambridge was given a new Coat of Arms in advance of her wedding to The Duke of Cambridge. Her Royal Highness's Coat of Arms derives from one which was granted to her father, Mr. Michael Middleton. The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London.
The Middleton Family worked closely with the College of Arms throughout the design process to create a Coat of Arms that was personal to them and visually identified them as a family.
The three acorns represent Mr. and Mrs. Middleton’s three children (The Duchess of Cambridge, Philippa Middleton and James Middleton). Acorns were chosen because the area in which the children were brought up – West Berkshire, England – is surrounded by oak trees. Additionally, oak is a long-established symbol of both ‘England’ and ‘Strength.’
The gold chevron, which sits at the centre of the design, represents Mrs. Middleton, whose maiden name is Goldsmith. The two thinner chevrons, which sit either side of the gold chevron, allude to hills and mountains and represent outdoor pursuits that the family enjoy together. The colours blue and red were chosen as they are the principal colours from the flag of the United Kingdom.
Prior to Her Royal Highness's marriage, her family Coat of Arms was presented in the form of a ‘lozenge’ and is shown suspended from a ribbon, which indicated that she was an unmarried daughter.
After a Royal Warrant from The Queen, the Middleton Family Arms will eventually be placed beside those of The Duke of Cambridge in what is known as an impaled Coat of Arms.
The Grant of Arms has been made to Mr. Michael Middleton and his descendants in accordance with the laws of Arms, so all of his three children, including The Duchess of Cambridge, are entitled to the Arms. Mr. James Middleton (The Duchess’s brother) will pass the right on to his descendants.
Heraldic description
The technical heraldic description of the Middleton Coat of Arms, known as a ‘blazon’ is Per pale Azure and Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or.
Per Pale means that the Shield is divided vertically with one half blue (Azure) and the other half red (Gules). A Chevron Or means the gold chevron across the centre of the Shield. There are cotises either side of the chevron which are white (Argent). Slipped means ‘with a stalk,’ so the final part of the blazon – and distinguishing feature of the Shield – means three acorns with gold stalks and leaves.
Coats of Arms are granted under the Sovereign’s authority. Since the 15th Century, this has been delegated to three Kings of Arms in England. They now have jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Coats of Arms are granted by Lord Lyon King of Arms.
Like all applicants, Mr. Middleton started the process by submitting his request to England’s Earl Marshal, The Duke of Norfolk, who issued a warrant to the Kings of Arms agreeing to the granting of new Arms. In this case it fell to Garter and Clarenceux Kings of Arms (two of the three Kings of Arms) to grant the Middleton Coat of Arms by Letters Patent, as the Middleton Family live south of the River Trent, the historic division between north and south in England.
The Duchess of Cambridge's Coat of Arms
The Duchess of Cambridge has a new Coat of Arms, following her marriage to The Duke of Cambridge.
The design shows a shield with one half derived from The Duke of Cambridge’s Coat of Arms and the other half from the Middleton family Coat of Arms, granted to Mr. Michael Middleton shortly before the Royal Wedding. The shield is supported by a lion and a white hind and is surmounted by The Duke of Cambridge’s Coronet.
The Queen personally approved the unique Coat of Arms for The Duchess of Cambridge by signing a Royal Warrant.
It is customary for individual versions of the Royal Arms with the Royal Supporters to be assigned by Royal Warrant to members of the Royal Family and for wives of members of the Royal Family to be granted one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves. The Supporter assigned to The Duchess of Cambridge is a white hind, which has had continuing Royal connections in England since the 14th Century. The lion is the Supporter of The Duke of Cambridge’s Coat of Arms.
Heraldic description
The technical heraldic description of The Duchess of Cambridge’s Supporters for her Coat of Arms, known as a ‘blazon’ is “To the dexter the Lion as borne and used as a Supporter by Our Dearly Beloved Grandson His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales Duke of Cambridge and to the sinister a Hind Argent unguled and gorged with a Coronet of Our Dearly Beloved Grandson’s degree Or”.
The hind is white (Argent) and is hooved (unguled) and has about its neck (is gorged) The Duke of Cambridge’s Coronet. Both the hooves and Coronet are gold (Or).
The Coronet is the same as that of her husband The Duke of Cambridge, which is at present a Coronet composed of two crosses patée, four fleurs-de-lys and two strawberry leaves. This is the Coronet laid down by a Royal Warrant of 1917 for the sons and daughters of the Heir Apparent.
The white hind has had a long tradition of connections to the Royal Family in England since the fourteenth century. It was the Badge of Joan of Kent (c. 1328-1385), Princess of Wales, better known as the Fair Maid of Kent.
In 1467 an inventory of ornaments and relics at Westminster Abbey included a red altar-cloth and frontal with gold lions and white hinds for the altar of King Henry V. In 1529 King Henry VIII had three hinds carved amongst the eighteen beasts at Hampton Court. The white hind contrasts with the white hart, the favourite Badge of the Fair Maid of Kent’s son Richard II.
The hart or stag is the male red deer and the hind the female. A hind is a forest dweller and stands well next to a Shield where acorns are the principal feature.
