Official symbol of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, coat of arms of the country
is a blue heraldic shield with a golden lion standing on its hind legs. In the front paws, the lion holds a silver sword and seven arrows, symbolizing the number of provinces of the Utrecht Union. The shield is crowned with a crown decorated with gems. On both sides it is supported by two similar golden lions with scarlet claws and tongues. Lions rest their hind legs on the motto ribbon of azure color. The ribbon is inscribed in medieval French "I support". Behind the shield is a lilac mantle with ermine lining, topped with a royal crown.
The bearer of the coat of arms of Holland is the king, and the government of the country usually uses a small version, which lacks a cloak and mantle. The smallest coat of arms of the kingdom is only a heraldic shield with one golden lion topped with a crown.
From Queen Wilhelmina
As it is fashionable to say these days, the design of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was developed with the approval of Queen Wilhelmina in 1907. It is only slightly different from the previous version, in which all the lions had a monarch's crown. The former coat of arms combined the generic elements of the coats of arms of the Orange Royal Dynasty and the former Republic of the United Provinces. From the family of Orange, the coat of arms of Holland received not only the rich azure color of the shield, but also golden rectangles all over the field and the same color of the lions of the Nassau house. The former symbol of the state was adopted in 1815 by King Willem I of the Netherlands.
Queen Wilhelmina was loved and revered by the people of the Netherlands. Having inherited the country at the age of eighteen, she led it through difficult historical times, making it an economically strong and highly respected state in the world political arena. The coat of arms of Holland from Her Majesty Wilhelmina is a symbol of a powerful and strong state.
Provincial sketches
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands, each province has a coat of arms. Those areas of the country that gave it an unofficial name also have their own distinctive signs. The coat of arms of South Holland is decorated with a golden heraldic shield topped with a crown and supported by two scarlet lions standing on their hind legs. The third lion is inscribed on the shield itself.
North Holland has decorated the right side of its coat of arms with two golden lions on an azure background, and in the left half of the heraldic shield on a gold field, a scarlet lion rests on its hind legs.
