Symbol of the Tudor Crown used in heraldry
The
Tudor Crown
, also known as the
Imperial Crown
, is a widely used symbol in the heraldry of the
United Kingdom
. In use officially from 1902 to 1953 and again from 2022, it represents both the
British monarch
personally and "
the Crown
", meaning the
sovereign
source of governmental authority. As such, it appears on numerous official emblems in the United Kingdom,
British Empire
and
Commonwealth
.
[1]
History
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The heraldic depictions of the royal crown have undergone many changes in their form and enrichment. The crown began to assume its present form in the reign of
Henry V
. Henry V's crown consisted of a jewelled circlet heightened by four
crosses pattee
alternating with eight
fleurs-de-lis
in pairs, and two arches springing from behind the crosses and supporting at the top a mound and cross (similar to an
orb
). In some reigns additional arches were used, and the number of crosses pattee and fleurs-de-lis was varied. By the reign of
Charles I
the royal crown was depicted similarly to the
Tudor crown
(made either for
Henry VII
or
Henry VIII
) which had four crosses pattee alternating with four fleurs-de-lis, and also four arches rising almost to a point, the arches being studded with pearls. This crown was destroyed during
the Protectorate
.
[2]
After the
restoration of the monarchy
,
Charles II
based the royal crown on the new
St Edward's Crown
, which had four crosses pattee alternating with four fleurs-de-lis, the number of arches was reduced to two and the curvature of the arches being depressed at the point of intersection. On this pattern the royal crown was depicted until the reign of
Queen Victoria
.
[2]
While various crown symbols had been used for this purpose for many years previously, in 1880 after Queen Victoria became
Empress of India
it was felt that the heraldic crown should be given an imperial form, and this was effected by making the arches semi-circular joined at the top with the mound and cross. The new design was never intended to represent any actual
physical crown
and its depiction was never officially standardised at the time, although in shape it bears a close resemblance to both the
Imperial State Crown
and the
small diamond crown of Queen Victoria
.
[2]
[3]
As a result of this change the depiction of the crown was very much "at the mercy" of the artist and many variants emerged. After the accession of
Edward VII
the
War Office
raised the issue of a standardised design for use by the army. The king decided on the 'Tudor' or 'imperial' crown design, and henceforth only this depiction of the crown was used.
[4]
In 1952 Queen
Elizabeth II
requested the design be replaced with a representation of the
St Edward's Crown
which she wore at her
coronation
. Many, though not all, of the derived designs around the world were updated to match.
[2]
In Canada, the Tudor Crown has been used since 1907 in the Canadian Government Inspection Legend on inspected meat products. The inspection legend (or symbol) consists of two concentric circles: the outer ring has the word "Canada" at the top and a number at the bottom identifying the place of production; the inner circle contains a black and white rendering of the Tudor Crown.
[
citation needed
]
Following the death of Elizabeth II, the design of King
Charles III
's
royal cypher
was announced on 27 September 2022, which featured the Tudor crown rather than the St Edward’s Crown. According to the
College of Arms
, this depiction will now be used in representations of the Royal Arms, badges and military uniforms.
[5]
Gallery
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Coats of arms
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Cyphers
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Flags
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Others
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See also
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References
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External links
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