The Prince of Wales's feathers is the heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent to the Commonwealth realms thrones. It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet. A ribbon below the coronet bears the motto Ich dien (a contraction of the German for "I serve", ich diene). As well as being used in royal heraldry, the badge is sometimes used to symbolise Wales, particularly in Welsh rugby union and rugby league; however, its use as such is controversial and rejected by some Welsh nationalists as a symbol of the British monarchy rather than of Wales.
Read more about Prince Of Wales's Feathers: Origins of The Badge, Popular Accounts of Origins
Famous quotes containing the words prince of wales, prince of, prince, wales and/or feathers:
“If English is spoken in heaven ... God undoubtedly employs Cranmer as his speechwriter. The angels of the lesser ministries probably use the language of the New English Bible and the Alternative Service Book for internal memos.”
—Charles, Prince Of Wales (b. 1948)
“Milton’s the prince of poets—so we say;
A little heavy, but no less divine:
An independent being in his day—”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“You know, there’s one thing wrong with living in a palace. It takes so long to get from one place to another. I live in a constant state of exhaustion.”
—Arthur Ross. The Prince (Jack Lemmon)
“I just come and talk to the plants, really—very important to talk to them, they respond I find.”
—Charles, Prince Of Wales (b. 1948)
“Too many feathers can sink a boat, and too many knick-knacks can break an axle.”
—Chinese proverb.