Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom

St Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow, Scotland: Scottish version of the royal arms of the Hanoverians, used from 1801 to 1816

Since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, a separate version of the royal arms has been used in Scotland, giving the Scottish elements pride of place.

The shield is quartered, depicting in the first and fourth quarters the lion rampant of Scotland; in the second, the three lions passant guardant of England; and in the third, the harp of Ireland.

The crest atop the Crown of Scotland is a red lion, seated and forward facing, itself wearing the Crown of Scotland and holding the two remaining elements of the Honours of Scotland, namely the Sword of State and the Sceptre of Scotland. This was also the crest used in the royal arms of the Kingdom of Scotland. The slogan, in Scots, appears above the crest, in the tradition of Scottish heraldry, and is an abbreviated form of the full motto: In My Defens God Me Defend.

The supporters change sides and both appear wearing the crowns of their respective Kingdom. The dexter supporter is a crowned and chained unicorn, symbolising Scotland. The sinister supporter is a crowned lion, symbolising England. Between each supporter and the shield is a lance displaying the flag of their respective Kingdom.

The coat also features both the motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one wounds (touches) me with impunity) and, surrounding the shield, the collar of the Order of the Thistle. On the compartment are a number of thistles, Scotland's national flower.

Royal arms of Elizabeth II, displayed in the parish church of Stone, Kent

Unlike the Acts of Union 1707 with Scotland, the Acts of Union 1800 with Ireland did not provide for a separate Irish version of the royal arms. The crest of the Kingdom of Ireland ("on a wreath Or and Azure, a tower triple-towered of the First, from the portal a hart springing Argent attired and unguled Or") has had little or no official use since the union.

The harp quarter of the royal arms represents Ireland on both the English and Scottish versions. Likewise, one English quarter is retained in the Scottish version, and one Scottish quarter is retained in the English version. Thus, England, Scotland and Ireland are represented in all versions of the royal arms since they came under one monarch. When the Irish Free State established its own diplomatic seals in the 1930s, the royal arms appearing on them varied from those on their UK equivalents by having the Irish arms in two quarters and the English arms in one.[13] By contrast, there is no representation at all for Wales in the royal arms, as at the Act of Union 1707 Wales was an integral part of the Kingdom of England pursuant to the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542; thus, it has been argued Wales is represented in the English coat of arms. However the argument is somewhat disingenuous as in 1535 the Welsh Dragon was already part of the Tudor Coat of Arms. Upon the accession of the Tudor monarchs, who were themselves of Welsh descent, a Welsh Dragon was used as a supporter on the royal arms. This was dropped by their successors, the Scottish House of Stuart, who replaced the Tudors' dragon supporter with the Scottish unicorn. In the 20th century, the arms of the principality of Wales were added as an inescutcheon to the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales, and a banner of those arms with a green inescutcheon bearing the prince's crown is flown as his personal standard in Wales. The so-called Prince of Wales's feathers are a heraldic badge rather than a coat of arms upon a shield, but they are not Welsh in any case. They derive, in fact, from the English Princes of Wales (who may owe them to an exploit of Edward, the Black Prince at the Battle of Crécy) and carry the motto Ich dien (German, "I Serve"). In any event, they do not form part of the royal arms, as opposed to the heraldic achievement of the Prince of Wales, who drops them upon his accession as King.

The current royal arms are a combination of the arms of the former kingdoms that make up the United Kingdom, and can be traced back to the first arms of the kings of England and kings of Scotland. Various alterations occurred over the years as the arms of other realms acquired or claimed by the kings were added to the royal arms. The table below tracks the changes in the royal arms from the original arms of King Richard I of England, and William I, King of Scots.

Kingdom of England Kingdom of Scotland Arms Dates Details 1189–1198 Arms shown on King Richard I's first Great Seal. The tinctures and the appearance of the full shield are uncertain. 1198–1340 The arms on the second Great Seal of King Richard the Lionheart, used by his successors until 1340: three golden lions passant gardant, on a red field.[3] 1340–1377 King Edward III quartered the royal arms of England with the ancient arms of France, the fleurs-de-lis on a blue field, to signal his claim to the French throne.[3] 1377–1399 King Richard II impaled the royal arms of England with the arms attributed to King Edward the Confessor.[3] 1399–1422 King Henry IV updated the French arms to the modern version, three fleurs-de-lis on a blue field.[3] 1422–1461 1470–1471 King Henry VI impaled the French and English arms, using the same arms after his "readeption".[14] 1461–1470 1471–1554 King Edward IV restored the arms of King Henry IV. 1554–1558 Queen Mary I impaled her arms with those of her husband, King Philip of Spain.[3] Although Queen Mary I's father, King Henry VIII, assumed the title "King of Ireland" and this was further conferred upon King Philip, the arms were not altered to feature the Kingdom of Ireland. 1558–1603 Queen Elizabeth I restored the arms of King Henry IV.[3] Arms Dates Details 1214-1249 Reverse of Alexander II's Great Seal, displaying the Lion rampant on saddle and shield. 12th century – 1558 A red lion, rampant, on a yellow field within a double royal tressure, flory counter-flory, first used by King William I, and later by his successors, and becoming the heraldic representation of Scotland. 1558–1559 Mary, Queen of Scots, Dauphine of France, impaled with the arms of Francis, Dauphin of France, King consort of Scots.[15] 1559–1560 Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen consort of France. She also, for a short time, quartered the English arms in France, for her claim to the English throne. 1560–1565 Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen dowager of France. 1565–1603 Upon her (second) marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565, Mary discontinued the arms of Scotland and France impaled, reverting to those of the Kingdom of Scotland.[16] King James VI was the last monarch of Scotland to use these arms before the Union of the Crowns in 1603.

Members of the British royal family are granted their own personal arms which are based on the royal arms. Only children and grandchildren in the male line of the monarch are entitled to arms in this fashion: the arms of children of the monarch are differenced with a three-point label; grandchildren of the monarch are differenced with a five-point label. An exception is made for the eldest son of the Prince of Wales, who bears a three-point label. Since 1911, the arms of the Prince of Wales also displays an inescutcheon of the ancient arms of the Principality of Wales.

Queens consort and the wives of sons of the monarch also have their own personal coat of arms. Typically this will be the arms of their husband impaled with their own personal arms or those of their father, if armigerous. However, the consorts of a queen regnant are not entitled to use the royal arms. Thus Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh has been granted his own personal arms.

Currently the following members of the royal family have their own arms based on the royal arms:

Children and grandchildren of the monarch in the male line
Armorial achievement	Shield	Bearer	Difference(s)
		Charles, Prince of Wales, outside Scotland	The coat of arms of the Prince of Wales is based on the royal arms with the plain three-point label, augmented by an inescutcheon in honour of the traditional arms of the Principality of Wales.[3] The Prince of Wales's feathers, the Red Dragon of Wales, Sable fifteen Bezants Or (the arms of the Duke of Cornwall, his subsidiary title in England) and his motto Ich dien are also added below the shield and the supporters. In Scotland, his arms as the Duke of Rothesay are displayed rather than those of the Prince of Wales.
		Charles, Duke of Rothesay, in Scotland	Used in Scotland, the arms of the Duke of Rothesay are those of Clan Stewart of Appin adapted, namely the quartered arms of the Prince and Great Steward of Scotland and Lord of the Isles (secondary titles of the Duke) with an inescutcheon as Scottish heir apparent (the Royal Arms of Scotland with a blue three-point label).
		Prince William, Duke of Cambridge	Three-point label with a red escallop, alluding to the patrilineal arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.[23]
		Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex	Five-point label with three red escallops in alternate points, alluding to the patrilineal arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.[23]
		Anne, Princess Royal	Three-point label, the points bearing a red cross, a red heart and a red cross.[3]
		Prince Andrew, Duke of York	Three-point label, the centre point bearing a blue anchor.[3]
		Princess Beatrice of York	Five-point label with three bees in alternate points.
		Princess Eugenie of York	Five-point label with three thistles in alternate points.
		Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	Three-point label, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose.
		Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester	Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a red cross, the second and fourth points bearing a red lion.[3]
		Prince Edward, Duke of Kent	Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a blue anchor, the second and fourth points bearing a red cross.[3]
		Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy	Five-point label, the first and fifth points bearing a red heart, the second and fourth points bearing a blue anchor, and the third bearing a red cross.[3]
		Prince Michael of Kent	Five-point label, the first, third and fifth points bearing a red cross, the second and fourth points bearing a blue anchor.[3]
Consorts
		Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	Prince Philip's arms post-1949 comprise four quarters, Denmark, Greece, and Mountbatten, representing his ancestry, and Edinburgh, representing the territorial designation of his dukedom.[3]
		Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall	The arms of the Prince of Wales impaled with those of her father, Major Bruce Shand, crowned with the single-arched Coronet of Prince of Wales.[24]
		Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge	The arms of the Duke of Cambridge impaled with those of her father, Michael Middleton, crowned with the coronet of a child of the heir-apparent.[25]
		Meghan, Duchess of Sussex	The arms of the Duke of Sussex impaled with those of her own design, crowned with the coronet of a child of the heir-apparent.[26]
		Sophie, Countess of Wessex	The arms of the Earl of Wessex impaled with those granted in 1999 to her father, Christopher Rhys-Jones, with remainder to his elder brother Theo. The new grant was based on an unregistered 200-year-old design. The lion alludes to one of the Countess' ancestors the Welsh knight Elystan Glodrydd, prince of Ferrig.[27]
		Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester	The arms of the Duke of Gloucester with an escutcheon of pretence granted to her by Royal Warrant on 18 July 1973.[28]
		Katharine, Duchess of Kent	The arms of the Duke of Kent impaled with those of her father, Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet.
		Princess Michael of Kent	The arms of Prince Michael of Kent impaled with those of her father, Baron Günther Hubertus von Reibnitz.

The version used by the British government

The version used by the Scotland Office

A version used by the British government on official websites and departmental insignia

Various versions of the royal arms are used by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, the Parliament of the United Kingdom and courts in some parts of the Commonwealth.

HM Government generally uses a simplified version of the royal arms with a crown replacing the helm and crest, and with no compartment.[29] In relation to Scotland, the Scotland Office and the Advocate General for Scotland use the Scottish version, again without the helm or crest, and the same was used as the day-to-day logo of the Scottish Executive until September 2007, when a rebranding exercise introduced the name Scottish Government, together with a revised logo incorporating the flag of Scotland.[30]

The Scottish Government continues to use the Arms on some official documents.

The simplified royal arms also feature:

• on all Acts of Parliament;
• on the cover of all UK passports and passports issued in other British territories and dependencies;
• as an inescutcheon on the diplomatic flags of British Ambassadors; and
• on all acts of the Anguilla House of Assembly, the Sovereign Base Areas, Pitcairn Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands administrations;
• on The London Gazette.

Various courts in the Commonwealth also continue to use the royal arms:

• The Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and Provincial Court of British Columbia[31][32]
• The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador[33] and Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador[34]
• The Supreme Court of the Yukon Territory[35]
• The Supreme Court of South Australia[36]
• The Supreme Court of Victoria[37]

Furthermore:

• A version of the crest of the royal arms, as used in Scotland, is used by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the General Register Office for Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.
• The crowned shield of the royal arms encircled by the Garter is used by the Home Office and by the Parliament of Victoria.[38]
• The crowned shield of the royal arms is used by the Royal Mint.
• The royal arms with the crest but without the helm is used as the rank insignia for Class 1 Warrant Officers in Her Majesty's Armed Forces.