Label and charges

Heraldiclabels are used todifferentiate the personalcoats of arms of members of theroyal family of the United Kingdom from that of the monarch and from each other. In the Gallo-British heraldic tradition, cadency marks have been available to "difference" the arms of a son from those of his father, and the arms of brothers from each other, and traditionally this was often done when it was considered important for each man to have a distinctive individual coat of arms and/or to differentiate the arms of the head of a house from junior members of the family. This was especially important in the case of arms of sovereignty: to use the undifferenced arms of a kingdom is to assert a claim to the throne. Therefore, in the English royal family, cadency marks were used from the time ofHenry III, typically a label or bordure alluding to the arms of the bearer's mother or wife. After about 1340, whenEdward III made a claim to the throne of France, a blue label did not contrast sufficiently with the blue field of the French quarter of the royal arms; accordingly most royal cadets used labelsargent: that of the heir apparent was plain, and all others were charged.^[1] Bordures of various tinctures continued to be used into the 15th century.

In the ordinary system of differences a label of three points (which has also been termed a label with three files) is the distinction of the eldest son during the lifetime of his father. In the oldest rolls of arms the labels are all of five points; but labels of three points were at an early period used interchangeably. Besides being used as mere temporary marks of cadency, labels are also employed as permanent distinctions, borne (like any other charge) by every member of some particular branches of certain families. Labels are the principal cadency marks used in certain royal families. In the British royal family, all labels areargent (white). The sons and daughters of the sovereign all bear labels of three points argent; that of thearms of the Prince of Wales is plain, but all others are charged. Further descendants of princes bear labels of five points charged. All such differences should be borne on the arms, crest, and supporters.

Red Cross	Rose	Heart	Fleur-de-lis blue	Anchor	Thistle	Trefoil	Red Lion	Ermine	Crown	Escalope	Bee	Roundel

The system of a special mark for difference for each member of the family goes back to the time ofHenry III, whose successor, as a prince, placed such a mark on the shield of England. Since 1340 this label has almost always been white, and overlaid with small figures, or charges, such as redcrosses of St George.^[2] This red cross represents England and itspatron saint, and was first borne by Richard of Bordeaux (future kingRichard II) before the death of his fatherEdward, the Black Prince in 1376. Other charges used:

• Ablue anchor, a symbol of hope, or of naval service, as borne by several Dukes of York.
• TheCrown of England (sometimes called the Imperial orSt Edward's Crown) borne by the abdicated king theDuke of Windsor, which is as unusual as the occurrence itself.
• Roses: theTudor Rose (combined red and white) has been used as an Englishroyal badge since 1485.
• Redhearts may allude to the arms ofLüneburg (part of the Hanoverian arms) or – for the descendants of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark – to thecoat of arms of Denmark.
• The bluefleur-de-lis appears amongst the Royal Badges in England of theStuarts.
• Thethistle is an ancient badge ofScotland.
• Theescallop shell was traditionally a token of pilgrimage on theWay of St James. The shell in the labels of the dukes ofCambridge andSussex alludes to those of theSpencer arms of their mother,Diana, Princess of Wales.
• Thebee is a canting charge in the label ofPrincess Beatrice of York.
• Thetrefoil is a badge of Ireland, associated withSt Patrick, who used it to illustrate thedoctrine of the Trinity.

• 
  Royal Arms
• 
  The Prince of Wales
• 
  The Duke of Rothesay
• 
  Inescutcheon of the Duke of Rothesay
• 
  Albert, Prince Consort
• 
  Prince Alfred (as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)
• 
  Prince Alfred (as Duke of Edinburgh)
• 
  Princess Beatrice
• 
  The Duke of Windsor
• 
  Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood
• 
  Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester
• 
  Prince George, Duke of Kent
• 
  Princess Margaret
• 
  Prince William of Gloucester
• 
  The Duke of Gloucester
• 
  The Duke of Kent
• 
  Princess Alexandra
• 
  Prince Michael of Kent
• 
  The Princess Royal
• 
  The Duke of York
• 
  The Duke of Edinburgh
• 
  The Duke of Sussex
• 
  Princess Beatrice
• 
  Princess Eugenie

King George I to Queen Victoria
Name	Title	Royal Warrant	Labelargent[2][3]															Notes
King George I (1660–1727)	Electoral Prince of Hanover British King from 1714.	As George was never a cadet member of the British royal family, he never had such a label.
Ernest (1674–1728)	Duke of York and Albany,Earl of Ulster	1716																Brother of George I. Bishop of Osnabrück.
George (1683–1760)	Prince of Wales 1714																	Future KingGeorge II.
Frederick (1701–1751)	Duke of Gloucester 1718, Duke of Edinburgh 1726
	Prince of Wales 1729
Anne (1705–1759)	Princess Royal	1719																2nd child, eldest daughter of George II. Princess ofOrange-Nassau.
		1727
Amelia (1711–1786)		1719
		1727
Caroline (1713–1757)		1719
		1727
William (1721–1765)		1725
	Duke of Cumberland 1726	1727
Mary (1723–1772)		1727
Louise (1724–1751)		1727																Queen of Denmark and Norway
Augusta (1737–1813)		1813																Duchess ofBrunswick-Wolfenbüttel
George (1738–1830)	2nd Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales 1751																	Future king George III
Edward (1739–1767)	Duke of York and Albany 1760	1752
William (father) (1743–1805)	Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh 1764
Henry (1745–1790)	Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn 1766
Frederick (1750–1765)		Posthumous
George (1762–1830)	Prince of Wales 1762																	FutureKing George IV
Frederick (1763–1827)	Duke of York and Albany 1784
William (1765–1837)	Duke of Clarence and St Andrews 1789	1781																FutureKing William IV
Charlotte (1766–1828)	Princess Royal																	Queen ofWürttemberg
Edward (1767–1820)	Duke of Kent and Strathearn 1799																	Father ofQueen Victoria
Augusta Sophia (1768–1840)		1789
Elizabeth (1770–1840)		1789																Landgravine ofHesse-Homburg
Ernest Augustus (1771–1851)	Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale 1799																	King of Hanover 1837
Augustus Frederick (1773–1843)	Duke of Sussex 1801
Adolphus (1774–1850)	Duke of Cambridge 1801
Mary (1776–1857)		1789																Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh
Sophia (1777–1848)		1789
Amelia (1783–1810)		1789
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1790–1865)	as consort of Princess Charlotte of Wales																	Later firstKing of the Belgians
Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817)		1816
Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II
Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (1819–1901)		No known arms were assigned to her as Princess.																FutureQueen Victoria
Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861)	Prince Consort	1837																Husband of Queen Victoria. Quartered these arms with hispaternal arms ofSaxony.
Victoria (1840–1901)	Princess Royal	1841																German Empress
Albert Edward (1841–1910)	Prince of Wales	1841																FutureKing Edward VII (1901)
Alice (1843–1878)		1858																Grand Duchess of Hesse.
Alfred (1844–1900)	Duke of Edinburgh	?																Duke ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha
Helena (1846–1923)		1858																Princess of Schleswig-Holstein.
Louise (1848–1939)		1858																Duchess of Argyll
Arthur (1850–1942)	Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	1874
Leopold (1853–1884)	Duke of Albany 1881	1856
Beatrice (1857–1944)		1858																Princess ofBattenberg.
Albert Victor (1864–1892)	Duke of Clarence and Avondale	1890																The firstborn son of Edward Prince of Wales, died in 1892.
George (1865–1936)	Duke of York	1892																FutureKing George V (1910)
	Prince of Wales	1901
Louise (1867–1931)	Princess Royal 1905	1889																Duchess of Fife
Victoria (1868–1935)		1896
Maud of Wales (1869–1938)		1896																Queen of Norway
Alfred of Edinburgh (1874–1899)		?																Hereditary Prince ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha
Marie of Edinburgh (1875–1938)		?																Queen of Romania
Victoria Melita of Edinburgh (1876–1936)		?																Grand-duchess ofHesse, later Grand-duchess of Russia
Alexandra of Edinburgh (1878–1942)		?																Princess ofHohenlohe-Langenburg
Margaret of Connaught (1882–1920)		1905																Crown princess of Sweden
Arthur of Connaught (1883–1938)		1904
Alice of Albany (1883–1981)		1934																Countess ofAthlone
Beatrice of Edinburgh (1884–1966)		?																Duchess of Galliera
Charles Edward of Albany (1884–1954)	2nd Duke of Albany	none	Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Deprived of his British titles 1919. Never granted arms in right of the United Kingdom, but used the arms of Dominion of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as was his right as its sovereign.
Patricia of Connaught (1886–1974)		1919																Lady Patricia Ramsay
Edward (1894–1972)	Prince of Wales	1911																King Edward VIII, abdicated 1936
	Duke of Windsor	1937																Unique use of a Crown for an abdicated monarch.
Albert (1895–1952)	Duke of York 1920	1912																FutureKing George VI (1936)
Mary (1897–1965)	Princess Royal 1932	1921																Countess of Harewood
Henry (1900–1974)	Duke of Gloucester 1928	1921
George (1902–1942)	Duke of Kent 1934	1921
Alastair of Connaught (1914–1943)	2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	1942	Quarterly 1 and 4 his grandfather's arms; 2 Fife; 3 Duff.
Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III
Philip (1921–2021)	Duke of Edinburgh; Prince Consort	1947–49: his arms included an inescutcheon of his ancestorPrincess Alice (Grand Duchess of Hesse): theRoyal Arms with a label as shown above.[4]
Elizabeth (1926–2022)		1944																Future queenElizabeth II (1952)
Margaret (1930–2002)		1944																Countess of Snowdon
Edward of Kent (born 1935)	2nd Duke of Kent	1948
Alexandra of Kent (born 1936)		1961																Lady Ogilvy
William of Gloucester (1941–1972)		1962
Michael of Kent (born 1942)		1962
Richard of Gloucester (born 1944)	2nd Duke of Gloucester	1962
Charles (born 1948)	Prince of Wales	1958																Future kingCharles III (2022)
	Duke of Rothesay	1974
Anne (born 1950)	Princess Royal	1962																Formerly MrsMark Phillips
Andrew (born 1960)	Duke of York	1962/63
Edward (born 1964)	Earl of Wessex 1999 Duke of Edinburgh 2023	1983
William (born 1982)	Duke of Cambridge	2000																The escallop is taken from the arms of his motherDiana Spencer (1961–1997).
	Prince of Wales	2022																Succeeded his father to these titles in 2022.
	Duke of Rothesay	2022
Harry (born 1984)	Duke of Sussex	2002																The escallop is taken from the arms of his mother Diana Spencer (1961–1997).
	Became a child of the Sovereign	2022																Changed to a three-point argent, each point charged with an escallop.
Beatrice of York (born 1988)		2006																Bee from the arms ofher mother. The three bees are a canting of her first name.
Eugenie of York (born 1990)		2008																Thistles from the arms of her mother.

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