Cap of maintenance

A cap of maintenance, known in heraldic language as a chapeau gules (French: "red hat"), is a ceremonial cap of crimson velvet lined with ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or special honour. It is worn with the high part to the fore, the tapering tail behind. It may substitute for the torse in the heraldic achievement of a person of special honour granted the privilege by the monarch. It thus appears in such cases on top of the helm and below the crest. It does not, however, feature in the present royal arms of England, which show the royal crest upon the royal crown, itself upon the royal helmet.

The origin of this symbol of dignity is obscure.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary a Cap of Maintenance was granted by the Pope to both Kings Henry VII and to his son King Henry VIII as a mark of special privilege. A cap of maintenance is one of the insignia of the British sovereign, and is carried directly before the monarch at the State Opening of Parliament, nowadays by the Leader of the House of Lords. Kings of the United Kingdom wear a Cap of Maintenance during their journey to Westminster Abbey immediately prior to their coronation, as was the case most recently with King George VI. Queens regnant do not wear them on such occasions, but wear instead a diadem, as in the case of Queen Elizabeth II who wore the George IV State Diadem before her coronation.

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