Royal Cypher

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 became Empress of India in 1877. 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 of St 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 the Tudor Crown or, more recently, St. Edward's Crown. (In Scotland, the Crown 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 realms, 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 or Court 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.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Royal Canadian Navy — Logo of the Royal Canadian Navy …   Wikipedia

  • Royal standards of Canada — Flag of the Queen of Canada Name Royal Standard of Canada Proportion 1:2 Adopted 1962 Design Shield of the Royal A …   Wikipedia

  • Cypher — Not to be confused with Cipher Cypher may refer to: A royal cypher or monogram like glyph Contents 1 Art and entertainment 2 Fictional characters 3 Persons …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Victorian Order — RVO redirects here. For other uses, see RVO (disambiguation). Royal Victorian Order Breast Star of the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Awarded by the …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Family Order — The Royal Family Order is an order awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom to female members of the royal family. The order is a personal memento rather than a state decoration. The same practice is in place in the Norwegian Royal Family,… …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Red Cross — Infobox Military Award name=Royal Red Cross caption=Medal and ribbon awarded by=United Kingdom type= Military decoration eligibility= Members of the Military Nursing Service for= exceptional services in military nursing status= description=… …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Scots — Infobox Military Unit unit name=The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) caption=Regimental Cap Badge and The Royal Cypher within the Collar of the Order of the Thistle with the badge appendant dates=1633 2006 country=United Kingdom branch=Army… …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Highland Fusiliers — Infobox Military Unit unit name=Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland caption=Cap Badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland dates=28 March 2006 country=United Kingdom branch=Army type=Line Infantry command structure …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Victorian Medal — Infobox Military Award name= Royal Victorian Medal caption= Medal and ribbon awarded by= UK and Commonwealth type= Royal decoration. eligibility= British and Commonwealth citizens and non commissioned personnel for=Personal service to the… …   Wikipedia

  • Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II — The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II is a high honour bestowed as a mark of personal esteem on titled female members of the British Royal Family for personal service to Queen Elizabeth II. It is not automatically awarded. There is no… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”