The Royal Badge of the Welsh Assembly was approved in May 2008. It is based on the arms borne by Llywelyn the Great, the famous thirteenth-century Welsh prince (blazoned quarterly Or and gules, four lions counterchanged langued and armed azure), with the addition of the St. Edward's Crown atop a continuous scroll which, together with a wreath consisting of the plant emblems of the four countries of the United Kingdom, surrounds the shield. The motto which appears on the scroll, (I am true to my country), is taken from the National Anthem of Wales and is also found on Welsh design £1 coins. The badge appears on the covers of Assembly Measures passed by the National Assembly for Wales and its main features are depicted on the Welsh Seal.
The current badge follows in a long line of heraldic devices representing Wales. Its predecessors have all been variations on either the Red Dragon, an ancient emblem revived by Henry VII, or the arms of Llywelyn. Whereas the arms of England, Scotland and Ireland are represented in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, Wales has no such representation due to being part of the historic Kingdom of England, rather than a kingdom in its own right. The device introduced in 2008 is accordingly a badge, rather than a coat of arms; Wales currently has no official coat of arms.
Famous quotes containing the words royal, badge and/or wales:
“All hail! the pow’r of Jesus’ Name;
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the Royal Diadem,
To crown Him Lord of all.”
—Edward Perronet (1726–1792)
“Signor Antonio, many a time and oft
In the Rialto you have rated me
About my moneys and my usances.
Still have I borne it with a patient shrug,
For sufferance is the badge of all our tribe.
You call me misbeliever, cutthroat dog,
And spit upon my Jewish gaberdine,
And all for use of that which is mine own.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“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)