MEDIEVAL VISUAL COMMUNICATION.

The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom belongs to the British monarch. Right now, that is Queen Elizabeth II: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-26b
Heraldic design dates back to the Middle Ages, when there was a need to identify armor-covered knights on the battlefield. It’s one of the earliest visual communication systems, with each element having a specific meaning. (More about that further in this post.)

Traditional branding
Heraldry is a very common form of identity design for countries, provinces, the military, and all kinds of other organizations. Below, a few examples.
First, Sir Edward Stanley (1509–1572).

Paris, which dates back to 1358.

The United States of America, approved by Congress in 1782.

Heraldic code
A guide to the parts of a coat of arms from the Observer’s Book of Heraldry, 1966.

A complex system of components form the basic language of heraldry. From the Larousse Universal Encyclopedia, 1922.

My heraldic heritage
I’ve been researching my own heraldry. Probably because I have delusions of grandeur, as I pointed out here: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-qA
However, extensive therapy has almost convinced me that I’m a commoner.
Family members have traced our ancestry back to 1779, but it probably goes back a lot further. Below, the first coat of arms I found. Not sure about the color.

Then I discovered this one (!), and now I’m confused about which design to have above my front door.

More royalty
The official coat of arms designed for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the latest royal superstars.

Here’s an explanation of the elements:
The Pacific Ocean off the California Coast is represented by the blue background of the shield.
Two golden rays symbolize the sunshine of California (Meghan’s home state).
Three quills represent communication and the power of words.
The left side of the shield carries Prince Harry’s coat of arms.
Under the shield are golden poppies, California’s state flower, and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace, where the couple are living.
The songbird is wearing a coronet around it’s neck, in a design that has been assigned to the new Duchess of Sussex.