Meghan Markle’s New Coat Of Arms Pay Homage To Home State California

Kensington Palace tweeted a picture of the coat of arms for the new Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, which has references that echo her home state California.

The palace said in a statement the blue represents the Pacific Ocean and the yellow stripes embody the Californian sun. Additionally, the coat of arms has poppies, which are the California state flower, and wintersweet, which are grown in the Kensington Palace garden.

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The illustration of the bird and lion donning crowns besides the shield are called supporters.

“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,” Kensington Palace said. “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.”

The statement also said, “The three quills represent communication and the power of words,” most likely in reference to Markle’s strong will.

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The palace reported that Markle and Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms, worked intently on the coat of arms together.

“The Duchess of Sussex took a great interest in the design,” Woodcock said. “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.”