Arms of dominion are the arms borne both by a

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

and the state in a

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

. In this respect they are both the national arms and the arms of the

nation A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...

, who is the monarchy's sovereign, and are thus simultaneously the personal arms of the monarch and the arms of the state over which the monarch reigns.

Background

The heraldic author

John Brooke-Little John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little (6 April 1927 – 13 February 2006) was an English writer on heraldry, heraldic subjects, and a long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London. In 1947, while still a student, Brooke-Little founded the Soc ...

Norroy and Ulster King of Arms Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the provincial King of Arms at the College of Arms with jurisdiction over England north of the River Trent, Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of ...

, in his book 'An Heraldic Alphabet' (page 38) wrote regarding arms of dominion: Furthermore, in his 1983 revision to 'Boutell's Heraldry', Brooke-Little stated (page 222): Therefore, in most hereditary monarchies the arms of dominion are also the arms of state; they cannot be used by anyone else; no matter how closely related they are to the monarch. Thus younger members of royal

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

will use arms that are similar to those of the monarch, but they are made slightly different by marks that are placed on the shield, including but not restricted to, labels. This is called

cadency In heraldry, cadency is any systematic way to distinguish Coat of arms, arms displayed by Lineal descendant, descendants of the holder of a coat of arms when those family members have not been granted arms in their own right. Cadency is necessa ...

, and is equally applicable to the arms of non-royal families, but is not as enforced. Within royal families, however, it is rigidly enforced by the heraldic authorities of the particular country. In republics, the arms of the head of state (who is not the

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

by definition) are not the same as the arms of the state (which is sovereign – or rather – the people of the state are sovereign). For example, the coat of arms of the United States and the arms of the various presidents are not the same. This is something that has been well established since pre-modern times; the arms of the various

doge Doge, DoGE or DOGE may refer to: Internet culture * Doge (meme), an Internet meme primarily associated with the Shiba Inu dog breed ** Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency named after the meme ** Kabosu (dog), the dog portrayed in the original Doge image ...

s of the republics of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

were not the same as the republics over which they ruled. Common external elements in arms of dominion are

royal pavilion The Royal Pavilion (also known as the Brighton Pavilion) and surrounding gardens is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince o ...

s, which are used in most arms of dominion, modern and historical, except in the arms of countries that belong to the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

Arms of dominion currently in use

File:Coat of arms of Andorra.svg, Arms of dominion of the Co-Princes of Andorra,

Joan Enric Vives Sicília Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters ** Joan of Arc (c. 1412–1431), patron saint of France * Joan (surname) Art and media * ''Joan'' (Alexander McQuee ...

and

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

File:Coat of arms of Bahrain.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Bahrain,

Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (born 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 1999. He is a member of the ruling Al Khalifa dynasty. Early life and education Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was born on 28 January 1950 in Riffa, Bahrain. ...

File:Royal arms of Cambodia.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Cambodia,

Norodom Sihamoni Norodom Sihamoni (, ; born 14 May 1953) is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk. He is the eldest son of King Sihanouk and former Queen consort Norodom Monineath and ...

File:Royal Coat of Arms of Canada.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Canada,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

File:Royal coat of arms of Denmark (2024).svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Denmark,

Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following Abdication of Margrethe II, his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henri ...

File:Coat of arms of Eswatini.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Eswatini,

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive Dlamini; 19 April 1968) is the ''Ngwenyama'' (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads an absolute monarchy, as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune fr ...

File:Coat of arms of Jordan.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Jordan,

Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...

File:Coat of arms of Kuwait.svg, Emblem of Kuwait used by the

Emir of Kuwait The Emir of the State of Kuwait () is the monarch and head of state of Kuwait, and is the country's most powerful office. The emirs of Kuwait are members of the Al Sabah dynasty. Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the emir of Kuwa ...

Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (born 27 September 1940) is Emir of Kuwait, reigning since 2023. Mishal spent most of his career in Kuwait's security and intelligence apparatus. Prior to becoming Emir at age 83, he was the oldest crown princ ...

File:Coat of arms of Lesotho.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Lesotho, Letsie III File:Coat of arms of Liechtenstein.svg, Arms of dominion of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II File:Coat of arms of Monaco.svg, Arms of dominion of the Prince of Monaco, Albert II File:Coat of arms of Morocco.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI File:Royal coat of arms of the Netherlands.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander File:Greater royal coat of arms of Norway.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Norway,

Harald V Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the line of succ ...

File:Emblem of Saudi Arabia.svg, Emblem of Saudi Arabia used by the

King of Saudi Arabia The king of Saudi Arabia, officially the king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (; ''Malik al-Mamlakat al-ʿArabiyat as-Suʿūdiyya''), is head of state and of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi ...

, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud File:Great coat of arms of Sweden.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Sweden,

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...

File:Tongan coat of arms.svg, Arms of dominion of the King of Tonga,

Tupou VI Tupou VI (ʻAho‘eitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho; born 12 July 1959) is King of Tonga. The youngest child of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, he served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2000 to 2006. Following his elder brother's accession to the ...

File:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (2022).svg, Arms of dominion for the King of the United Kingdom, Charles III (for use outside Scotland) File:Coat of arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland.svg, Arms of dominion for the King of the United Kingdom, Charles III (for use in Scotland)

Arms of dominion used in former monarchies

File:Austro-hungarian coat of arms 1914.svg, Arms of Dominion of

Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...

, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary File:Imperial Coat of Arms of Haiti (1849-1859).svg, Arms of Dominion of

Faustin I Faustin-Élie Soulouque (; 15 August 1782 – 3 August 1867) was a Haitian politician and military commander who served as President of Haiti from 1847 to 1849 and Emperor of Haiti from 1849 to 1859. Soulouque was a general in the Haitian Arm ...

, Emperor of Haiti File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia, 1919–1945 File:Greater Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of Russia, 1857–1917 File:Royal Coat of arms of Serbia (1882–1918).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Serbia, 1882–1918 File:Larger State Achievement of Bulgaria 1908-1946.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of the Bulgarians (there are variants) until 1946 File:Great Arms of the Kingdom of Albania (1939–1943).png, Arms of Dominion of King

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

of the Albanians, 1939–1945 File:Great coat of arms of the king of italy (1890-1946).svg, Arms of the Kings of Italy until 1946 File:Kingdom of Romania Coat of Arms Big 1881-1921.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Romania from 1881 to 1922 File:Kingdom of Romania - Big CoA.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Romania, 1922–1947 File:Royal Coat of Arms of Greece.svg, Arms of the Kings of Greece (there are variants) from 1863 to 1922 and 1935 to 1974 File:Grand Royal Coat of Arms of France.svg, Arms of the Kings of France and Navarre (there are variants) to 1792, 1814, and 1815–1830 File:Imperial Coat of Arms of France (1804-1815).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of the French, 1804–1814, 1815 and (with modifications), 1852–1870 File:Imperial Coat of Arms of Iran.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Shahs of

Pahlavi Iran The Imperial State of Iran, officially known as the Imperial State of Persia until 1935, and commonly referred to as Pahlavi Iran, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. The Pahlavi dynasty was created in 1925 and lasted ...

, 1932–1979 File:Coat of Arms of the First Mexican Empire.svg, Arms of Dominion of Agustin I, Emperor of Mexico, 1822–1823 File:Coat of Arms of the Second Mexican Empire.svg, Arms of Dominion of Maximillian I, Emperor of Mexico, 1863–1867 File:Royal Coat of Arms of Portugal with Mantle.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Portugal, c.1830-1910 File:Coat of arms of the Empire of Brazil.svg, Arms of Dominion of the Emperors of Brazil, 1822–1889 File:Imperial Coat of arms of Central Africa (1976–1979).svg, Arms of Dominion of Bokassa I, Emperor of the Central African Empire File:Coat of arms of the kingdom of Yemen (1956-1962).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Yemen until 1962 File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Libya.svg, Arms of Dominion of Idris I, King of Libya, 1951–1969 File:Coat of arms of Kingdom of Egypt (blue color).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Egypt, 1922–1953 File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Iraq (1921–1958).svg, Arms of Dominion of the Kings of Iraq, 1921–1958

References

* * {{Heraldry footer Coats of arms