Official Emblem for the UKSC
Lord Hope of Craighead, Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, announced today that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the emblem that will be used by the future United Kingdom Supreme Court.
Yvonne Holton, Herald Painter at the Court of the Lord Lyon in Scotland, designed the emblem in close consultation with a committee of Law Lords. It combines the four heraldic elements that reflect the three jurisdictions of the United Kingdom - the rose conjoined with the leaves of the leek for England and Wales, the thistle for Scotland and the flax plant for Northern Ireland.
Lord Hope of Craighead, Chair of the Law Lords sub-committee for the Supreme Court, is delighted that the emblem has now received Royal approval. "It has been designed to reflect the importance of the place that the Supreme Court will occupy in the constitution of the United Kingdom. All four nations are equally represented in the design and it is embraced by a symbol which is both Libra, symbolising the scales of justice, and Omega, symbolising finality. It will provide a strong, memorable and consistent reference point for the UK Supreme Court both at home and abroad.”
At its most formal level, the Royal Crown surmounts the emblem, as The Monarch is the source of the Court’s authority. Other versions of the emblem will be created to enable both consistency and flexibility in the Court’s communications.
The design has been placed in the records of the College of Arms.