In British heraldry, acoronet is a type ofcrown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word forcrown is used irrespective of rank (German:Krone,Dutch:kroon,Swedish:krona,French:couronne,Italian:corona,Polish:korona etc.) In this use, the Englishcoronet is a purely technical term for all heraldic images of crowns not used by a sovereign. A coronet is another type of crown, but is reserved for the nobility: dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons. The specific design and attributes of the crown or coronet signifies the hierarchy and ranking of its owner.
Certain physical coronets are worn by the British peerage on rare ceremonial occasions, such as the coronation of the monarch. These are also sometimes depicted in heraldry, and calledcoronets of rank in heraldic usage. Their shape varies depending on the wearer's rank in the peerage, according to models laid down in the 16th century. Similar depictions of crowns of rank (German:Rangkronen) are used in continental heraldry, but physical headgear has never been made to imitate them.
Due to the extreme rarity of occasions in which peers' coronets are worn (sometimes more than fifty years pass before a new coronation and occasion to wear physical coronets), practical use of the termcoronet today is almost exclusively confined to pictorial crowns andrank symbols inheraldry, adorning someone'scoat of arms (indeed, many people entitled to a coronet never have a physical one made). Depiction of ordinary crowns or coronets in heraldry, rather than coronets of rank, including a variety ofcrest coronets sometimes placed under thecrest, are not confined to peers, and are often shown in British heraldry outside the peerage.
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The word stems from theOld Frenchcoronete, a diminutive ofco(u)ronne ('crown'), itself from theLatin:corona,lit. 'crown, wreath' and from theAncient Greek:κορώνη,romanized: korōnē,lit. 'garland, wreath'.
Traditionally, such headgear is used bynobles and byprinces andprincesses in theircoats of arms, rather than bymonarchs, for whom the word 'crown' is customarily reserved inEnglish, while many languages have no such terminological distinction. As a coronet shows the rank of the respective noble, in theGerman andScandinavian languages there is also the termrangkrone (literally 'rank crown').
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Members of theBritish royal family often display coronets in their coats of arms and may wear actual coronets at coronations (e.g., PrincessesElizabeth andMargaret at the1937 coronation of their father asGeorge VI). Such coronets were made according to regulations instituted byCharles II in 1661, shortly after his return from exile in France (getting a taste for its lavish court style;Louis XIV started monumental work atVersailles that year). They vary depending on the individual's relationship to the monarch. Occasionally, additional royal warrants vary the designs for individuals.
The most recent (and most comprehensive) royal warrant concerning coronets was the 19 November 1917 warrant ofGeorge V.[1] The coronet of the Britishheir apparent is distinctive in itself, as it has a single arch with a globe and cross.Charles III opted against the use of coronets at hiscoronation in 2023, for both members of the royal family and peers, but he did not abolish the tradition.
In the United Kingdom, apeer traditionally wears a coronet on one occasion only – for aroyal coronation, when it is worn along withcoronation robes, equally standardised as a luxurious uniform. However, for the 2023coronation of Charles III and Camilla, on the government's advice, the King forbade the wearing of coronets by those peers who had been invited, except those performing specific ceremonial roles.[2]
In thepeerages of the United Kingdom, the design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, as in German, French and various other heraldic traditions. Dukes were the first individuals authorised to wear coronets. Marquesses acquired coronets in the 15th century, earls in the 16th, then viscounts and barons in the 17th. Until the barons received coronets in 1661, the coronets of earls, marquesses and dukes wereengraved, while those of viscounts were plain. After 1661, however, viscomital coronets became engraved, while baronial coronets were plain. Coronets may not bear any precious or semi-precious stones.[3] Since people entitled to wear a coronet customarily display it in theircoat of arms above theshield and below thehelmet andcrest, this can provide a useful clue as to the owner of a given coat of arms.
| Image | Details |
|---|---|
| Princes and Princesses | |
 | Heir apparent Used by aBritish heir apparent.[4][5] |
 | Child of a sovereign A coronet of crosses and fleurs-de-lis.[1] |
 | Child of an heir apparent A coronet of crosses,strawberry leaves and fleurs-de-lis. |
 | Child of a son of a sovereign A coronet of crosses and strawberry leaves. |
 | Child of a daughter of a sovereign A coronet of strawberry leaves and fleurs-de-lis.[3] |
| (Non-royal) Peers and Peeresses | |
 | Duke orDuchess A silver-gilt circlet,chased as jewelled but not actually gemmed, with eight strawberry leaves of which five are seen in two-dimensional representations. |
 | Marquess orMarchioness A coronet of four strawberry leaves and four silver balls (known as "pearls", but not actually pearls), slightly raised on points above the rim, of which three leaves and two balls are seen in two-dimensional representations. |
 | Earl orCountess A coronet of eight strawberry leaves (four visible) and eight "pearls" raised on stalks, of which five are visible in two-dimensional representations. |
 | Viscount orViscountess A coronet of sixteen "pearls" touching one another, nine being seen in representation. |
 | Baron orBaroness,Lord orLady of Parliament A plain silver-gilt circlet, with six "pearls" of which four are visible in two-dimensional representations. |
Certain types of local government have special coronet types assigned to them.
| Image | Details |
|---|---|
 | Coronet of aScottish Regional Council (1973–1996) A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four thistles leaved (one and two halves visible) Or.[6] |
.svg) | Coronet of aScottish Island Council (1973–1996) A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four dolphins two and two respectant naiant embowed (two visible) Or.[7] |
.svg) | Coronet of aScottish District Council (1973–1996) A circlet richly chased from which are issuant eight thistle heads (of which three and two halves are visible) Or.[8] |
| Coronet of aScottish Community Council (1973–present) A circlet richly chased from which are issuant four thistle leaves (one and two halves visible) and four pine cones (two visible).[9] |
InCanadian heraldry, descendants of theUnited Empire Loyalists are entitled to use a Loyalist military coronet (for descendants of members of Loyalist regiments) or a Loyalist civil coronet (for others) in their coats of arms.[10]
These are the heraldic crowns and coronets as they are in use today in theKingdom of Belgium. In the past, the systems of the German (Holy Roman Empire),Spanish andAustrian monarchies, as well as those of theFirst French Empire and theUnited Kingdom of the Netherlands, have also be in use on the current Belgian territory.
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All over the world, Spanish heraldry has used these crowns and coronets:
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The hierarchy among theFrench nobility, which was identical for non-royal titles to the British hierarchy of peers, should not be understood to be as rigid in the ranking of titleholders as the latter. In particular, a title was not a good indication of actual preeminence or precedence: ancestry, marriages, high office, military rank and the family's historical renown counted far more than the precise title. Some distinguished families held a title no higher than count or even baron, but were proud of their ancient origin. Moreover, most of the nobility was legally untitled. Some hereditary titles could be acquired by a nobleman who purchased a "titled"fief, whiletitres de courtoisie ('courtesy titles') were freely assumed in the absence of strict regulation by the French crown and became more numerous than titles legally borne. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people assumed and used freely coronets of ranks that they did not have; and, in the 19th and 20th centuries abuse was still made of 'courtesy titles'. Titles continued to be granted until theSecond Empire fell in 1870, and legally survive among their descendants.
The only title that was never usurped under theancien régime, and rarely without some excuse afterwards, was the title ofduc – because it was so often attached to the rank ofpeer of France, which carried specific legal prerogatives, such as the right to a seat in theParlement of Paris. As a result, the title ofduc was actually, as well as nominally, at the top of the scale after the royal family and foreign princes, and a cut above all of the other nobility. During theancien régime, 'prince' was a rank, not a title, hence there was no coronet.
TheHoly Roman Empire, and consequently its successor states (Austria, Germany and others), had a system very similar to that of the British, although the design varied.
Considering the religious nature of theHoly Roman Empire, one can say that, except for the short-lived Napoleonic states, no continental secular system of heraldry historically was so neatly regulated as under the British crown. Still, there are often traditions (often connected to the Holy Roman Empire,e.g., those in Sweden, Denmark or Russia) that include the use of crown and coronets. While most languages do not have a specific term for coronets, but simply use the word meaningcrown, it is possible to determine which of those crowns are for peerage or lower-level use, and thus can by analogy be called coronets.
Precisely because there are many traditions and more variation within some of these, there is a plethora of continental coronet types. Indeed, there are also some coronets for positions that do not exist or entitle one to a coronet in theCommonwealth tradition. Such a case in French (ancien,i.e., royal era) heraldry, where coronets of rank did not come into use before the 16th century, is thevidame, whosecoronet (illustrated) is a metal circle mounted with three visible crosses (there is no documentary or archeological evidence that such a coronet was ever made).
Often, coronets are substituted byhelmets, or only worn on a helmet.
InAustria-Hungary, coronets were usually granted with arms, but sometimes a coronet was not granted.
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These coronets (Portuguese:coronéis, singular:coronel) and crowns (Portuguese:coroas, singular:coroa) were used inPortuguese heraldry:
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