The anniversary is, of course, tinged with sadness for Her Majesty as it marks the day when her father, HM King George VI, passed away, whilst she was starting a lengthy world tour on his behalf with her husband, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and had stopped over in Kenya. As has become usual, Her Majesty has travelled to Sandringham (where her father died in his sleep) but this year is understood to be staying in Wood Farm Cottage where here late husband spent many of his last months.
The main celebrations are planned for June with an extended bank holiday weekend with such ceremonies as Trooping the Colour, a Thanksgiving Service and beacons lit all over the Commonwealth.
The present Arms were adopted in 1837 when HM Queen Victoria came to the Throne but was excluded from the Throne of Hanover by Salic Law, which only allowed for male monarchs. The stylistic changes in 1952 (or, rather, in time for the Coronation the following year) involved three items:
Details are as follows: |
Crown
While various crown symbols had been used for this purpose for many years previously, the specific Tudor Crown design was standardised at the request of Edward VII. It was never intended to represent any actual physical crown, although in shape it bears a close resemblance to the small diamond Crown of Queen Victoria. (Or, rather, Queen Victoria's small diamond Crown resembles this design.)
On her Accession, Elizabeth II requested the design be made a closer representation of the actual St Edward's Crown with which she would be crowned. The major difference is that the Tudor Crown has only gently curved Arches up to the Mound at the top, whereas St. Edward's Crown has what is usually called an S-shaped Arch with a depression in the middle.
Harp of Ireland
The design of the Harp used by the modern Irish state was based on the Brian Boru harp, a late-medieval Gaelic harp now in Trinity College, Dublin. Designed by English sculptor, Percy Metcalfe. this was in response to a competition held by the State for the Irish coinage, which was to start circulation in December 1928. Metcalfe's design became the model for future official interpretations of the harp as an emblem of the state.
The Harp in the United Kingdom Coat of Arms is not the same as for the Irish Republic but is equally more Gaelic in design.
Compartment
The Blazon of the Coat of Arms of Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex specifies, at her request, the Compartment.
Below the Shield, a Mount of Grass with golden Poppies and Wintersweet in flower.
The Queen brought some logic to the matter and the Compartment now forms part of the official Blazon. This specifies:
A Mount of Grass with the Motto "Dieu et mon Droit" below the Shield, and the Union Rose, Shamrock and Thistle engrafted on the same Stem.
On 1st February, Royal Mail issued a number of new definitive stamps for everyday use. These now feature a barcode for security purposes. The stamp itself shows the iconic Arnold Machin cameo portrait of Her Majesty The Queen which has been in use since 1967. The first class stamp is printed in what is called Plum Purple as the colour purple has been chosen to represent the Jubilee. The colour of the precious metal platinum is close to silver, i.e. light grey. The Royal mail issued gold first class stamps for the Golden Jubilee and icy blue stamps for the Diamond Jubilee. Commemorative stamps have been revealed today. They are not heraldic in nature, but show photographs of Her Majesty, as usual. |