Origins of The Badge
The badge has no connection with the native Princes of Wales.
Its use is generally traced back to Edward, the Black Prince, eldest son and heir apparent of Edward III of England. Edward bore (as an alternative to his differenced royal arms) a shield of Sable, three ostrich feathers argent, described as his "shield for peace": this probably means it was the shield he used for jousting. These arms can be seen several times on his tomb chest in Canterbury Cathedral, alternating with his royal arms. The prince also used badges of one or more ostrich feathers in a number of other contexts.
The feathers had first appeared at the marriage of Edward III to Philippa of Hainault, and it is therefore likely that the Black Prince inherited the badge from his mother. Philippa was descended from the Counts of Hainault, whose eldest son bore the title "Count of Ostrevent", the ostrich (French: autruche) feathers being (perhaps) a heraldic pun on that name. Alternatively, the badge may have derived from the Counts of Luxembourg, from whom Philippa was also descended, and who had used the badge of an ostrich.
Edward III himself occasionally used ostrich feather badges, as did other members of the royal family in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Black Prince's younger brother, John of Gaunt, used the feathers in several contexts, including on a very similar coat of arms to Edward's "shield for peace", although in this case the feathers were ermine. Edward's illegitimate son, Sir Roger de Clarendon, bore arms of Or, on a black bend, three ostrich feathers argent; while his legitimate son, King Richard II, used ostrich feather badges in several different colours. Henry IV used a badge of a single ostrich feather with a scroll entwined around it bearing the motto "Ma sovereyne" or "Sovereygne"; while, of Henry's sons, Henry V used ostrich feathers as a secondary royal badge at various times, Thomas, Duke of Clarence used an ermine ostrich feather labelled; John, Duke of Bedford an ostrich feather with the "Sovereygne" scroll; and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester an ostrich feather studded with fleurs-de-lis. Similar badges were used by other royal princes.
The first Prince of Wales to use the badge in its modern form (i.e. three white feathers encircled by a coronet, and with the motto Ich dien) was Prince Arthur (1486–1502), eldest son of Henry VII, at the beginning of the 16th century. It was also widely used by Prince Edward, son of Henry VIII and afterwards Edward VI, although he was never formally created Prince of Wales. Feathers continued to be used as lesser royal badges, including by Elizabeth I, until the end of the century. Only from the beginning of the 17th century did the badge become exclusively associated with the Prince of Wales.
Read more about this topic: Prince Of Wales's Feathers
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