- Royal Cypher
A Royal Cypher, or Royal and Imperial Cypher is the sovereign's
monogram or the initials of their name and title, usually surmounted by a crown. [ [http://tmg110.tripod.com/lexicon1.htm War Flags Glossary] ] [ [http://fotw.flaggen-profi.de/flags/gb-nav.html Flag of United Kingdom: Royal Navy flags] ] [ [http://books.google.com/books?num=100&id=yDkfAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22royal+cypher%22+%7C+Imperial+cypher%22&q=cypher&pgis=1#search Boutell's Manual of Heraldry] ] It is impressed upon royal and state documents and is used by government departments.United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom , the public use of the royal initials dates at least from early Tudor times, and early on was simply the initial of the sovereign with, after Henry VIII's reign, the addition of the letter R for "Rex" or "Regina". The letter "I" for "Imperatrix " was added to Queen Victoria's monogram after she becameEmpress of India in1877 . The initials – which had no set pattern or form of lettering laid down – were usually shown in company with the royal arms or crown as on the king's manors and palaces, such as those of Henry VIII on the gatehouse ofSt James's Palace , and the purpose seems to have been simply to identify a sovereign. Since a monarch often uses the same arms as his or her predecessor, a particular Sovereign cannot always be identified by the arms alone. The initials were used mostly on government papers, duty stamps and similar objects, and were sometimes surmounted by a stylised version of theTudor Crown or, more recently,St. Edward's Crown . (InScotland , theCrown of Scotland appears in place of the Imperial crown.) [ [http://www.4crests.com/heraldrybook5.html The Handbook to English Heraldry] ]Commonwealth realms
Though royal symbols will differ amongst each of the sixteen
Commonwealth realm s, as they are separate monarchies, the one sovereign uses the same cypher throughout all of his or her realms. Distinction continues to be made between the personal cypher and the simpler, more workaday public initials, the former being the sovereign's own monogram and the latter simply a means of identifying a reign. Nowadays, the initials are also called the royal cypher, but to aid clarification the monogram is referred to as the royal cypher interlaced and reversed.The present Queen's cypher is E II R, standing for "Elizabeth II Regina". Cyphers for other members of the Royal Family are designed by the
College of Arms orCourt of the Lord Lyon and are subsequently approved by the Queen.Elsewhere
Other royal houses have also made use of royal or imperial cyphers.Ottoman sultans had a calligraphic signature, their
tughra .Gallery
References
ee also
*
Mon (badge)
*Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.