The Duchess of Sussex's coat of arms was revealed in the week following her wedding with an official statement from Kensington Palace. Her coat of arms includes details from her home state, California, as well as details representing the Royal Family and Kensington Palace. The design has a shield with blue background representing the Pacific Ocean off the California coast and two gold rays representing rays of sunshine. There are three quills situated between the rays and the shield's borders which symbolize "communication and the power of words."
The golden poppies from Duchess' home state adorned with wintersweet, a flower that grows at the Kensington Palace, adds a personal touch to the design.
The supports at the sides of the shield are a golden lion and a songbird with an open beak and elevated wings, respectively representing the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex.
Kensington Palace's statement said that Meghan Markle was very interested in the design and worked closely with the College of Arms during its creation.
A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex: https://t.co/mJb3mqZfaZ pic.twitter.com/0EgbiS29Rb
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 25 Mayıs 2018
Tradition? What tradition?
Although it is no longer unusual to see Meghan Markle break royal traditions, the different approach regarding the coat of arms did raise some eyebrows since it is considered one of the biggest breaks of the tradition.
Traditionally, the Coat of Arms is presented to the father of the bride before the wedding. However, considering the scandal regarding Thomas Markle before the wedding and his decision to not attend his daughter's wedding, it was decided that Meghan Markle should receive the design directly.
The decision upset some people, especially Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's outspoken half-sister.
Another thing that broke tradition was the lack of representation of the Markle name in the design. Kate Middleton's coat of arms included symbols for both the Middleton name and for her mother's maiden name.
Design differences between Kate and Meghan
The designs of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are very different from each other.
First off, Kate Middleton didn't receive a personal coat of arms right after her wedding like Meghan did. Instead, she shares her design with her family. Her father Micheal Middleton received a family design shortly before her wedding in April 2011. Kate's family design included three acorns on red and blue background, representing the three children of the Middleton family. Her design includes details symbolizing the Englishness of her heritage, in contrast to Meghan's design which doesn't include any details about her family. While Kate's design is more Middleton family oriented, Meghan's design shows details about her character and her hometown. The individual designs underline the differences between the two duchesses.
