Meghan Markle's Coat of Arms Revealed by Kensington Palace

Meghan Markle now has her very own coat of arms, and like most things about the American actress, it's a break from royal tradition.

She worked on the design herself with the palace's College of Arms to create an image that is "both personal and representative," according to the palace website. 

The coat of arms was released Friday by Kensington Palace and is full of symbolism. 

The bird on the right is a songbird and its flying wings and open beak represent the power of communication.  

The three quills on the shield are also symbols of communication and the power of words, a perfect fit for the Duchess of Sussex considering her strong support of women's rights.

The shield's blue background represents the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, where Meghan grew up, and, the two gold rays are symbols of the sunshine in the Golden State.  

On the grass beneath the shield are golden poppies — California’s state flower — and wintersweet, which grows at Kensington Palace. Both flowers were featured in the former "Suits" actress’ 16-foot-long wedding veil.  

Royal couples are often given a conjugal coat of arms as well as individual ones. Prince William and Duchess Catherine were also presented with a coat of arms together after their wedding. 

"The Duchess of Sussex took a great interest in the design. Good heraldic design is nearly always simple and the Arms of The Duchess of Sussex stand well beside the historic beauty of the quartered British Royal Arms. Heraldry as a means of identification has flourished in Europe for almost nine hundred years and is associated with both individual people and great corporate bodies such as Cities, Universities and for instance the Livery Companies in the City of London," Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms said in a statement. 

RELATED STORIES