Only since 1960 has the British Sovereign been featured on English bank
notes, giving The Queen a unique distinction above her predecessors.
STAMPS
There is a close relationship between the British Monarchy and the postal
system of the United Kingdom. Present-day postal services have their
origins in royal methods of sending documents in previous centuries.
Nowadays, the image of The Queen on postage stamps preserves the connection
with the Monarchy.
For centuries letters on affairs of State to and from the Sovereign's
Court, and despatches in time of war, were carried by Messengers of the
Court and couriers employed for particular occasions. Henry VIII's Master
of the Posts set up post-stages along the major roads of the kingdom where
Royal Couriers, riding post-haste, could change horses. In Elizabeth I's
day, those carrying the royal mail were to 'blow their horn as oft as they
met company, or four times every mile'. Letters of particular urgency - for
example, reprieves for condemned prisoners - bore inscriptions such as
'Haste, haste - post haste - haste for life for life hast' and the sign of
the gallows. During the reign of James I (1603-25) all four posts of the
kingdom still centred on the Court: The Courte to Barwicke (the post to
Scotland); The Courte to Beaumoris (to Ireland); The Courte to Dover (to
Europe) and The Courte to Plymouth (the Royal Dockyard).
Charles I opened his posts to public use, as a means of raising money.
Although public use of the royal posts increased, the running of the mail
continued to centre round the post requirements of the Sovereign's Court.
Until the 1780's the Mails did not leave London until the Court letters had
been received at the General Post Office, and as late as 1807 Court letters
coming into London were, unlike ordinary letters, delivered the moment the
mail arrived. The postal system rapidly spread during Victoria's reign with
the introduction of the Uniform Penny Postage in 1840, and the Queen's
letters bore postage stamps like everyone else's. Royal Messengers
continued to carry certain letters by hand. The increase in the Court's
mail led to special postal facilities being provided in 1897 in the form of
a Court Post Office - an arrangement which still exists today under the
management of the Court Postmaster.
Symbols of the royal origins of the UK's postal system remain: a
miniature silhouette of the Monarch's head is depicted on all stamps; the
personal cyphers of The Queen and her predecessors (going back to Victoria)
appear on many letterboxes dating from their respective reigns throughout
the country; and the postal delivery service is known as the Royal Mail.
COATS OF ARMS
The function of the Royal Coat of Arms is to identify the person who is
Head of State. In respect of the United Kingdom, the royal arms are borne
only by the Sovereign. They are used in many ways in connection with the
administration and government of the country, for instance on coins, in
churches and on public buildings. They are familiar to most people as they
appear on the products and goods of Royal Warrant holders.
The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom have evolved over many years
and reflect the history of the Monarchy and of the country. In the design
the shield shows the various royal emblems of different parts of the United
Kingdom: the three lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the
lion of Scotland in the second and the harp of Ireland in the third. It is
surrounded by a garter bearing the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense ('Evil
to him who evil thinks'), which symbolises the Order of the Garter, an
ancient order of knighthood of which the Queen is Sovereign. The shield is
supported by the English lion and Scottish unicorn and is surmounted by the
Royal crown. Below it appears the motto of the Sovereign, Dieu et mon droit
('God and my right'). The plant badges of the United Kingdom - rose,
thistle and shamrock - are often displayed beneath the shield.
Separate Scottish and English quarterings of the Royal Arms originate
from the Union of the Crown in 1603. The Scottish version of the Royal Coat
of Arms shows the lion of Scotland in the first and fourth quarters, with
that of England being in the second. The harp of Ireland is in the third
quarter. The mottoes read In defence and No one will attack me with
impunity. From the times of the Stuart kings, the Scottish quarterings have
been used for official purposes in Scotland (for example, on official
buildings and official publications).
The special position of Wales as a Principality was recognised by the
creation of the Prince of Wales long before the incorporation of the
quarterings for Scotland and Ireland in the Royal Arms. The arms of the
Prince of Wales show the arms of the ancient Principality in the centre as
well as these quarterings.
Coats of Arms of members of the Royal Family are broadly similar to The
Queen's with small differences to identify them.
GREAT SEAL
The Great Seal of the Realm is the chief seal of the Crown, used to show
the monarch's approval of important state documents. In today's
constitutional monarchy, the Sovereign acts on the advice of the Government
of the day, but the seal remains an important symbol of the Sovereign's
role as Head of State.
The practice of using this seal began in the reign of Edward the
Confessor in the 11th century, when a double-sided metal matrix with an
image of the Sovereign was used to make an impression in wax for attachment
by ribbon or cord to royal documents. The seal meant that the monarch did
not need to sign every official document in person; authorisation could be
carried out instead by an appointed officer. In centuries when few people
could read or write, the seal provided a pictorial expression of royal
approval which all could understand. The uniqueness of the official seal -
only one matrix was in existence at any one time - also meant it was
difficult to forge or tamper with official documents.
The Great Seal matrix has changed many times throughout the centuries. A
new matrix is engraved at the beginning of each reign on the order of the
Sovereign; it is traditional that on the death of the Sovereign the old
seal is used until the new Sovereign orders otherwise. For many monarchs, a
single seal has sufficed. In the case of some long-reigning monarchs, such
as Queen Victoria, the original seal simply wore out and a series of
replacements was required.
The Queen has had two Great Seals during her reign. The first was
designed by Gilbert Ledward and came into service in 1953. Through long
usage and the heat involved in the sealing process, the matrix lost
definition. From summer 2001 a new Great Seal, designed by sculptor James
Butler and produced by the Royal Mint, has been in use. At a meeting of the
Privy Council on 18 July 2001 The Queen handed the new seal matrix over to
the Lord High Chancellor, currently Lord Irvine of Lairg, who is the
traditional keeper of the Great Seal.
The Great Seal matrix will be used to create seals for a range of
documents requiring royal approval, including letters patent, royal
proclamations, commissions, some writs (such as writs for the election of
Members of Parliament), and the documents which give power to sign and
ratify treaties. During the year 2000-01, more than 100 documents passed
under the Great Seal. Separate seals exist for Scotland - the Great Seal of
Scotland - and for Northern Ireland.
The process of sealing takes place nowadays at the House of Lords in the
office of the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. A system of 'colour coding'
is used for the seal impression, depending on the type of document to which
it is being affixed. Dark green seals are affixed to letters patent which
elevate individuals to the peerage; blue seals are used for documents
relating to the close members of the Royal Family; and scarlet red is used
for documents appointing a bishop and for most other patents.
FLAGS
A number of different types of flag are associated with The Queen and the
Royal Family. The Union Flag (or Union Jack) originated as a Royal flag,
although it is now also flown by many people and organisations elsewhere in
the United Kingdom by long established custom. The Royal Standard is the
flag flown when The Queen is in residence in one of the Royal Palaces, on
The Queen's car on official journeys and on aircraft (when on the ground),
and represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom. The Queen's personal
flag, adopted in 1960, is personal to her alone and can be flown by no one
other than The Queen. Members of the Royal Family have their own personal
variants on the Royal Standard. The Prince of Wales has additional
Standards which he uses in Wales and Scotland.
CROWNS AND JEWELS
The crowns and treasures associated with the British Monarchy are
powerful symbols of monarchy for the British people and, as such, their
value represents more than gold and precious stones. Today the crowns and
treasures associated with English kings and queens since 1660 and earlier
are used for the Coronation of Monarchs of the United Kingdom. The crowns
and regalia used by Scottish monarchs (the Honours of Scotland) and Princes
of Wales (the Honours of the Principality of Wales) continue to have
Страницы: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36
