It won’t be very long until the Royal Wedding takes place. This seems to be a good time for Kate Middleton to get a coat of arms. This will give her “heraldic parity”, and will bring her family more prestige. The coat of arms can be used by several members of the Middleton family, but Kate herself can only use it until the wedding takes place.
The new coat of arms was just recently revealed. In addition to Kate Middleton, her parents were also involved in the decision making process about what their family crest would look like. The background colors are red and blue, which were selected because of the prominence of those colors on the Union Jack flag. Red appears on one side of the background, and blue appears on the other side, splitting it down the middle. This could be seen as a heraldic joke, playing on the surname Middle-ton.
There is a gold chevron that represents Kate’s mother. Her maiden surname was Goldsmith. There are two white chevrons, which represent hills and mountains, and reflect the Middleton’s family’s outdoor pursuits.
There are three acorns on the crest. Each one represents one of the Middleton’s children: Kate, her sister Pippa, and her brother James. Kate herself chose the acorn symbols because the oak tree traditionally symbolizes England, and also symbolizes strength. It seems to make a nice statement about the strength of her family. The oak tree is also a commonly found tree in the Berkshire village where the Middleton family lives.
The crest itself is in the shape of a lozenge, and it is suspended from a ribbon. The ribbon indicates that Kate is an unmarried woman. The lozenge is a shape that is used by women. If the men of Middleton family wish to use this crest, they need to have it changed into a shield shape, instead.
Only Kate herself, and Kate’s sister, Pippa, can use the crest as it currently appears. This is because Pippa is also female and unmarried, as is Kate, (for now). Her brother, James, will need to use the crest that is in a shield shape, instead of a lozenge. He will be able to pass the family crest onto his children.
Kate Middleton was not required to commission a family crest in order to marry into the Royal Family. And, technically, it was Kate’s father who actually commissioned the Middleton family crest. This was so the entire Middleton family could use the crest.
However, once Kate becomes a part of the Royal Family, she will likely encounter situations when she will probably need to have a family crest. The Middleton family crest, with the lozenge shape and the ribbon attached, will appear on the back of the souvenir program for the Royal Wedding. Prince William’s family crest will appear on the front of the booklet.
Kate Middleton can no longer use the Middleton family crest after April 29, 2011, when she will be married into the Royal Family. Her crest will be combined with her husbands. One side will reflect his crest, and the other will reflect hers. This combined design is called “impaled arms”.
Image by nothingtoomuch1 on Flickr