Badge of Honour

Heraldry is a magnificently rich yet concise method of conveying details of an individual’s or family’s identity

Per pale Azure and Gules a Chevron Or cotised Argent between three Acorns slipped and leaved Or.” It may sound like a medieval spell, but this is, in fact, a “blazon” – a technical heraldic description, often combining elements of old French, Latin and English. It describes the coat of arms granted to Michael Middleton in 2011. The arms, since used by his family, were to provide his daughter Catherine, now the Duchess of Cambridge, with a traditional heraldic identity as she married into the Royal Family.

Heraldry, the regulated means by which coats of arms and suchlike insignia are devised, is a magnificently rich yet concise method of conveying details of an individual’s or family’s identity, achievements and interests. Take the Middleton arms, for example: against a background of blue (known in heraldry as “Azure”) and red (“Gules”), three sprigs of oak (“Acorns slipped and leaved”) refer to Mr Middleton’s three children, James,