The Royal Coat of Arms is the official emblem of the British monarch and, by extension, of the British state. You will see it on passports, courtroom walls, police badges, government letterheads and, curiously often, on pub signs.
Reading it
The shield is quartered, and each quarter stands for a kingdom:
- First and fourth quarters — three gold lions on red, for England.
- Second quarter — a red lion rampant within a border, for Scotland.
- Third quarter — a gold harp on blue, for Ireland.
Wales does not appear, for the same reason it does not appear on the Union Flag: it was a principality annexed to England rather than a separate kingdom.
The lion and the unicorn
The two figures holding the shield are the supporters. The crowned lion on the left stands for England; the unicorn on the right for Scotland. They were brought together when James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603 and merged the two royal arms.
The unicorn is always shown chained, with a coronet round its neck. Heraldic tradition held the unicorn to be a proud and dangerous creature that could not be taken alive, so it is depicted restrained. The symbolism has not gone unnoticed in Scotland, and the chained unicorn is a recurring image in Scottish political cartooning.
The mottoes
Two appear on the full arms:
- Dieu et mon droit — “God and my right”, beneath the shield. Attributed to Richard I, and a claim that the monarch’s authority derives from God rather than from any earthly power.
- Honi soit qui mal y pense — “shame on him who thinks ill of it”, on the garter encircling the shield. This is the motto of the Order of the Garter.
Both are in Norman French, a legacy of the language of the medieval English court.
The Scottish version
There is a separate version used in Scotland, and the differences are pointed. The Scottish lion takes the first and fourth quarters; the unicorn is given the position of honour on the left, crowned and holding the Scottish standard; the motto is In defens, short for “In My Defens God Me Defend”; and the collar of the Order of the Thistle replaces the Garter.
It appears on Scottish courts and government buildings, and spotting the difference is a small pleasure of crossing the border.
Why it is on pub signs
Historically, businesses supplying the royal household displayed the arms as a mark of custom, and inns named “The Rose and Crown”, “The Lion and Unicorn” or “The King’s Arms” adopted them as signage. Genuine Royal Warrant holders — companies supplying the household — may still display the arms today, and you will see them on jars of marmalade and bottles of gin as well as over pub doors.