Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth II

Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 surrounded by her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. With that her 70-year reign comes to an end and her son Charles becomes the new King of Great Britain.

She was born in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926.
This year she celebrated her 70th anniversary as Queen of Great Britain. And that, even though, nobody really thought her to accend the throne one day. That is because back then, the King of Great Britain was Edward VIII who was the brother of Elizabeth’s father Georg VI. In December 1936, however, King Edward abdicated so he could marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced twice. As a result, Georg VI became the King on December 11, 1936; his oldest daughter Elizabeth became heir to the throne. When in 1952, Georg VI died at the age of 56, Elizabeth II was crowned and has been Queen of Great Britain ever since.

Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II beared the coat of arms of Great Britain. It is the symbol of her royal souvereignty.

Quarterly, first and fourth Gules three lions passant gardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure (for England), second quarter Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory Gules (for Scotland), third quarter Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (for Ireland), the whole surrounded by the Garter; for a Crest, upon the Royal helm the imperial crown Proper, thereon a lion statant gardant Or imperially crowned Proper; Mantling Or and ermine; for Supporters, dexter a lion rampant gardant Or crowned as the Crest, sinister a unicorn Argent armed, crined and unguled Proper, gorged with a coronet Or composed of crosses patée and fleurs de lis a chain affixed thereto passing between the forelegs and reflexed over the back also Or. Motto ‚Dieu et mon Droit‘ in the compartment below the shield, with the Union rose, shamrock and thistle engrafted on the same stem.

In 1944, Queen Elizabeth received her first coat of arms. It consisted of a lozenge-shield showing the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom with a silber label of three points (the one in the middle with a Tudor rose, the others with the St George’s Cross). She bore the coat of arms below until 1947.

In 1947, the motto of the Order of the Garter was added. The coat of arms shown below is the one Queen Elisabeth II bore until her coronation in 1952. Ever since then, she has been bearing the coat of arms of Great Britain.

 

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