Duke and Duchess of Cambridge given joint coat of arms

Britain’s Prince William and Duchess Catherine have been given a joint ”conjugal” coat of arms.

The royal couple – who tied the knot in April 2011 – were presented with the honor by Queen Elizabeth to represent the pair as a married couple, and the design contains half of William’s and half of Catherine’s own family shields.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said: ”The conjugal arms will be theirs forever, but as their circumstances and roles alter, elements of the accoutrements around the shields may change.

”In addition to their conjugal arms, their Royal Highnesses also retain their own coats of arms to represent themselves as individuals.”

On the left side of the joint coat of arms is William’s Royal Coat of Arms shield, while Catherine’s version of the Middleton family coat of arms, which was granted to them ahead of the couple’s marriage, is on the right.

Catherine – who was known as Kate Middleton prior to her wedding – also had some input into the design of the pair’s joint coat of arms, which is likely to be used on plaques when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge perform openings.

Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: ”The duchess did come in when we were designing it and she said that on the compartment, which is the thing they stand on, she liked the grass darker at the back and paler at the front. It’s a small point, but something she picked up on.”