Meghan Markle’s father will be receiving a coat of arms ahead of the wedding
March 28, 2018
As many of you pointed out in that Katie Nicholl-wedding gown story, Katie Nicholl is shilling for her book by dishing some really obvious “gossip” about the wedding. I’ll paraphrase what insider-y information Nicholl has: Meghan is going to wear a lovely wedding gown which will not be as fancy or expensive as Kate’s gown. The wedding will be very different from Will and Kate’s wedding, mostly because it won’t be in Westminster. That’s it, really. That’s the sum total of “inside information.” Nicholl also dished some dumb dirt with Page Six – her insiders say that Ellie Goulding *may* perform at the wedding, and that Ed Sheeran could *possibly* perform too. Lord help us all.
Here’s one story that’s not Fake News: Meghan’s side of the family will be getting a coat of arms, and then after a few years of marriage, Meghan and Harry will have their own conjugal coat of arms.
First comes love, then comes a coat of arms! Ahead of Meghan Markle‘s wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, Meghan’s family — and her father in particular — is set to receive a very special gift: A family coat of arms.
The traditional design, customized with colors and symbols, is typically given to the father of the bride just ahead of a royal wedding. Though Kensington Palace and the College of Arms declined to comment on whether or not a coat of arms will be gifted to Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle, in honor of the royal bride-to-be’s May 19 wedding, it’s a tradition that will likely be followed.
Kate Middleton‘s father, Michael Middleton, received his coat of arms just over a week before her 2011 wedding. It featured three acorns, which represented the family’s three children — Kate, Pippa and James — and a gold stripe across the middle in honor of Kate’s mother, Carole, whose maiden name is Goldsmith.
After Meghan’s family receives their coat of arms, she and Harry can get their own “conjugal coat of arms,” which will likely be officially unveiled a few years after they marry. William and Kate’s made its debut in September 2013, just over two years after their April 2011 wedding.
“Every Coat of Arms has been designed to identify a person, school or organization, and is to last forever,” Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms at the College of Arms, told PEOPLE of the coat of arms creation process in 2011. “Heraldry is Europe’s oldest, most visual and strictly regulated form of identity and it surrounds us in Britain, giving clues to our history and surroundings.”
Wasn’t there something weird or funny about the Middleton coat of arms? Oh, I had to look it up – the Middletons got “narrow, white chevrons represent hills and mountains, a reference to the family’s enjoyment of outdoor pursuits.” Basically, they love to go on ski holidays and now that’s part of their familial coat of arms. I wonder if a coat of arms ever included a beach symbol, a mojito symbol and this ¯_(ツ)_/¯ ??
As for the Markle coat of arms… what will it include? References to California? Uh… something else? The thing is, despite the Markle family’s incessant jabbering, we really don’t know much about the history of the family. Hm.
Photos courtesy of PCN, WENN.
