Meghan Markle rose to fame due to her role on the USA Network hit drama Suits.
But she is now making news for a specific kind of coat.
A coat of arms, that is!
Less than a week after Markle‘s royal wedding to Prince Harry, the newly minted Duchess of Sussex has received a very special gift, one her half-sibling can’t believe she actually deserves.
On Friday morning, Markle was presented with her own coat of arms by Kensington Palace.
This was a bit unusual and even the cause of a smidgeon of controversy because the traditional design, customized with colors and symbols, is typically given to the father of the bride.
However, this break royal tradition was forced to be made after Thomas Markle suffered a heart attack.
He also embroiled himself in photo scandal in which he admitted to paying paparazzo to snap flattering pictures of him.
As a result, Markle’s dad did not attend the wedding and can’t really be included in any of the customs or traditions affilated with it.
Said the palace in a statement today:
“A Coat of Arms has been created for The Duchess of Sussex. The design of the Arms was agreed and approved by Her Majesty The Queen and Mr. Thomas Woodcock (Garter King of Arms and Senior Herald in England), who is based at the College of Arms in London.”
And here it is!
What is this special seal all about?
The blue background represents the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, while the two golden rays across the shield are symbolic of the sunshine of Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles.
Whomever would have thought that a Duchess would be gifted with a reminder that she really is a California girl at heart?
The Royal Family really has come a long way and we applaud them for changing with the times.
Elsewhere, the trio of quills represent communication and the power of words, a likely reflection of Markle’s outspoken activism and her former lifestyle blog, The Tig.
Let’s keep looking around the Coat, shall we?
Right below the shield on the grass is a collection of golden poppies, which are California’s state flower.
There’s also wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace, directly outside Meghan and Harry’s cozy Nottingham cottage actually.
Added the palace in its official description:
It is customary for Supporters of the shield to be assigned to Members of the Royal Family, and for wives of Members of the Royal Family to have one of their husband’s Supporters and one relating to themselves.
The Supporter relating to The Duchess of Sussex is a songbird with wings elevated as if flying and an open beak, which with the quill represents the power of communication.
Now that the brand new Royal has received her coat of arms, she and her husband can get their own “conjugal coat of arms,” which will likely be officially unveiled in a couple years.
William and Kate Middleton’s, for example, made its debut in September of 2013, two-plus years after their April 2011 wedding.
Said Mr. Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms said:
“The Duchess of Sussex took a great interest in the design. Good heraldic design is nearly always simple and the Arms of The Duchess of Sussex stand well beside the historic beauty of the quartered British Royal Arms.
“Heraldry as a means of identification has flourished in Europe for almost nine hundred years and is associated with both individual people and great corporate bodies such as Cities, Universities and for instance the Livery Companies in the City of London.”
We love it!
And we love these two as a couple.
Best of luck on your hot baby-making sex, Megs and Har!
