SEAL OF THE REALM
18 Jul 2001 12:00 AM
Her Majesty The Queen, at a Meeting of the Privy Council today, gave
Her approval to a new Great Seal of the Realm, and handed it to the
Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, who is the keeper of the Great Seal.
The Seal (Obverse and Reverse) was designed by Mr. James Butler, R.
A., and engraved in silver at the Royal Mint. It has a diameter of
six inches and the combined weight of both sides of the seal exceeds
275 troy ounces.
The Obverse, for which Mr. Butler was graciously granted a Royal
sitting, shows Her Majesty The Queen enthroned and robed, holding in
her right hand a Sceptre and in her left the Orb. The
circumscription ELIZABETH . II . D . G . BRITT . REGNORVMQVE . SVORVM
. CETER . REGINA . CONSORTIONIS . POPVLORVM . PRINCEPS . F . D . is
the Latin form of the Royal Title: Elizabeth II by the Grace of God
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and
Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
On the Reverse is the full achievement of Her Majesty''s Royal Arms,
including crest, mantling and supporters. Part of the motto HONI SOIT
QUI MAL Y PENSE appears on the Garter surrounding the shield of the
Arms, while below is the Royal Motto DIEU ET MON DROIT. Apart from
the seal specially prepared for Henry VIII for use at the Field of
the Cloth of Gold in 1527, this is the first time in the history of
Royal Heraldry that the Royal Arms have provided the main design for
one side of the Great Seal. A Coat of Arms, however, appears on the
Great Seals of the Protectors Oliver and Richard Cromwell. /more
It was announced in February that The Queen had given approval to the
commissioning of a new Great Seal to replace the existing Seal which
has been in service since 1953.
The first Royal Seal of England, which ranks as a ''great seal'', is
that of Edward the Confessor, impressions of which are still in
existence. It was a double-sided seal, the Reverse side being nearly
identical with that of the Obverse.
Documents to which the Great Seal is affixed are: Proclamations,
Commissions, certain writs (such as writs for the election of Members
of Parliament), Letters Patent and the documents which give power to
sign and ratify Treaties. The Wafer Seal, which is a smaller copy of
the obverse of the Great Seal in lower relief, is embossed on certain
documents instead of the Great Seal being appended to them. The Queen
also gave formal approval to a new Wafer Seal of the same device as
the new Great Seal.
The Office of the Lord Chancellor has been closely associated with
the Great Seal since before the Conquest; in the reign of Edward the
Confessor the Lord Chancellor was the Chief of the King''s
Secretaries, the Chief of the King''s Chaplains, and Custodian of the
Royal Seal. It is traditional that on the death of the Sovereign the
old Seal is used until the new Sovereign orders otherwise. The old
seal, which is defaced to render it unfit for use, is then by custom
presented by the Monarch to the Lord Chancellor of the day. This
custom was observed by Her Majesty The Queen in 1953 and on this
occasion. The Lord Chancellor will put the Great Seal on public
display in the Lord Chancellor''s Residence and in due course will
decide on the national institution to which it would be appropriate
for him to bequeath the Great Seal.
Note for Editors
James Butler, 69, studied Art at St. Martin''s School of Art and the
Royal College of Art and for 10 years was a professional stone
carver. He taught sculpture and drawing at the City and Guilds of
London Art School and was visiting professor to the Royal Academy
Schools. He was first elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1964
and is a member of the Royal West of England Academy and fellow of
the Royal Society of British Sculptors. James Butler has works in
private collections throughout the world and has undertaken numerous
public commissions, the most recent of which is the Fleet Air Arm
Memorial, unveiled by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and
situated in Victoria Embankment Gardens.