Prince William Pays Tribute To His Late Mother

In a touching tribute to the late Princess of Wales, Prince William has put a small red sea shell in the centre of the design of his crest for the Order of the Garter Knighthood. The scallop originates from the Spencer family, and was used by Princess Diana herself. It is a break from tradition for the Royal Family, as they normally do not use maternal symbols for their embelms.

The scallop was included by Prince William’s insistence, who paid close attention to the design.

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Peter Gwynn-Jones, garter principal King of Arms at the College of Arms, said: “It is a welcome innovation to incorporate maternal symbols into the Royal Family’s arms and it is something that Prince William and his family wanted to do.

“In the fullness of time, Prince William’s Arms will change as the Prince of Wales’ shall, but a precedent has been set here that others in the Royal Family may well follow.”

The crest will now be mounted above his seat at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle where the Prince was formally appointed to the elite order by the Queen in a ceremony last month, becoming its 1,000th member.