The Royal
Coat-of-Arms is to be seen on many
buildings,
documents and even
retail products (due to the
by appointment to HRH schemes) in the
United Kingdom.
A
graphical description follows.
descriptions by me, questions answered at http://www.royal.gov.uk/faq/arms.htm
The coat consists of a Royal
Shield, adorned with the
Crown and flanked by a
Lion on the left and a
Unicorn on the right (as viewed). Two mottos intertwine the whole.
Royal Shield
The
shield bears the royal emblems of the different countries of the
United Kingdom: the
three lions of
England in the
first and
fourth quarters (moving clockwise from top-left), the
lion of
Scotland in the
second and the
harp of
Ireland in the third.
Garter surrounding the Shield
Bears the
motto:
"Honi soit qui mal y pense" (Evil to him who evil thinks)
Crown atop the shield
Is the
standard Royal
Crown graphic: topped by a
Maltese cross, with beads
flanking down to a
sumptious red
velvet interior, and the
gold crown itself having
crosses (N,W,S,E) and
fleur de lis (NW, NE, etc) at the major
compass points about it's
circumference.
The Lion
Stands to the left, his tail fanning out like the head of a
rose. He holds the
shield, and his
mane sweeps
the garter. He wears the Royal
Crown described above.
The Unicorn
Stands to the right, with a smaller
crown around her
neck, a heavy
chain passes behind her back and she also holds the
shield.
The Motto
Weaving across the bottom of the
shield is the
motto "
Dieu et mon droit" (God and my right).
from the official
Royal FAQ:
"The function of the Royal Coat of Arms is to identify the person who is Head of State: in respect of the
United Kingdom, the royal arms are borne only by the
Sovereign. They are used in many ways in connection with the
administration and
government of the country, for instance on
coins, in
churches and on
public buildings. They are familiar to most people as they appear on the products and goods of Royal Warrant holders."