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{{Short description|Monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign}}
[[File:Royal Monogram of King Harald V of Norway.svg|thumb|upright|Royal cypher of [[Harald V of Norway|King Harald V of Norway]]]]

In modern [[heraldry]], a '''royal cypher''' is a [[monogram]] or monogram-like device of a country's reigning [[Monarch|sovereign]], typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a [[Crown (heraldry)|crown]].<ref>The [[Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]] (Fifth edition; 2002), Volume 1, p. 1820.</ref> Such a cypher as used by an emperor or empress is called an '''imperial cypher'''.

Royal cyphers appear on some government buildings, impressed upon royal and state documents, and are used by [[Ministry (government department)|governmental departments]].  They may also appear on other governmental structures built under a particular ruler.

==Commonwealth realms==
The use of a royal cypher in the [[Commonwealth realm]]s originated in the [[United Kingdom]], where the public use of the royal initials dates at least from the early [[Tudor period]], and was simply the initial of the sovereign with, after [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s reign, the addition of the letter 'R' for {{lang|la|'[[Monarch|Rex]]'}} or {{lang|la|'[[Queen regnant|Regina]]'}} ([[Latin]] for "king" and "queen" respectively). The letter 'I' for {{lang|la|'[[Imperatrix]]'}} was added to [[Queen Victoria]]'s monogram after she became [[Empress of India]] in 1877 (or {{lang|la|'[[Imperator]]'}} in the case of an emperor).<ref>{{cite web| url= http://fotw.flaggen-profi.de/flags/gb-nav.html| last= Morley| first= Vincent| title= United Kingdom: Royal Navy| publisher= Flags Of The World| access-date= 30 October 2009| archive-date= 19 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110719013531/http://fotw.flaggen-profi.de/flags/gb-nav.html| url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| last= Boutell| first= Charles| author-link= Charles Boutell|author2= Wheeler-Holohan, V. | title= Boutell's Manual of Heraldry| publisher= F. Warne and Co. Ltd.| year= 1931| location= Detroit| page= 244| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yDkfAAAAMAAJ&q=cypher| access-date= 30 October 2009}}</ref>

The initials{{snd}}which had no set pattern or form of lettering laid down{{snd}}were usually shown in company with the royal arms or crown as on the king's manors and palaces{{snd}}such as those of Henry VIII on the gatehouse of [[St James's Palace]]. The purpose seems to have been simply to identify an individual sovereign, particularly on certain landmarks that he or she has commissioned, as the [[Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom|royal coat of arms]] in contrast was often used by successive monarchs and is therefore not distinct. The initials are furthermore used on government papers, [[duty stamp]]s and similar objects, and are surmounted throughout the United Kingdom (except in Scotland) and the Commonwealth realms by a stylised version of the [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]] or [[St Edward's Crown]]; in [[Scotland]], the [[Crown of Scotland]] is used instead.<ref>{{Cite book| last1=Boutell| first1=Charles| author-link=Charles Boutell| last2=Fox-Davies| first2=A. C.| title=The Handbook to English Heraldry| publisher=Echo Library| date=21 July 2008| url=http://www.4crests.com/heraldrybook5.html| isbn=978-1-4068-2770-5| access-date=25 March 2008| archive-date=28 April 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428090340/http://www.4crests.com/heraldrybook5.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Though royal symbols (including, most notably, the coat of arms, [[royal standard]]s and [[great seal]]s) differ among the 15 Commonwealth realms, as they are separate monarchies, the one sovereign uses the same cypher throughout all of his or her countries. Distinction continues to be made between the personal cypher and the simpler, more workaday public initials, the former being the sovereign's own monogram and the latter simply a means of identifying a reign. Nowadays, the initials are also called the royal cypher, but, to aid clarification, the monogram is referred to as the royal cypher interlaced and reversed.

The royal cyphers have been incorporated by the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]] into the various [[royal standards of Canada]]. The use in Canada of the reigning monarch's cypher, which is sometimes uniquely surrounded by a garland of [[Maple leaf|maple leaves]], is as a symbol not only of the sovereign him- or herself, but of Canada's full sovereignty.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2009/pc-ch/CH4-129-2008E.pdf|title=Cof Maples: Constitutional Monarchy in Canada|publisher=Department of Canadian Heritage, Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada|year=2008|isbn=978-0-662-46012-1|language=English|archive-date=2009-03-18|access-date=2021-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318080051/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/crnCdn/crn_mpls-eng.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The royal cypher is used on some Australian military uniforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thorpe |first=Genevieve |date=2022-09-13 |title=Unexpected items to change under the King’s reign |url=https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/royal-life/2022/09/13/king-charles-items-customs |access-date= |website=The New Daily |language=en}}</ref>

===Charles III===
[[File:David Lammy in Spain 2025-03-31-11-22 (crop).jpg|thumb|Charles's cypher on [[David Lammy]]'s folder, 2025]]
On 26 September 2022, [[Buckingham Palace]] unveiled the cypher of the new king, [[Charles III]], that is gradually replacing the cypher of Elizabeth II in everyday use. The design was selected by Charles himself from a series of designs prepared by the College of Arms and features the King's initial "C" intertwined with the letter "R" for {{lang|la|cat=no|[[Rex (title)|Rex]]}} with "III" denoting Charles III, with a [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]] above the letters.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=The Royal Household |date=2022-09-27 |title=His Majesty The King's cypher |url=https://www.royal.uk/his-majesty-kings-cypher |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=The Royal Family |language=en |archive-date=2022-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927153041/https://www.royal.uk/his-majesty-kings-cypher |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63034255.amp | title=New King Charles royal cypher revealed | work=BBC|date=26 September 2022 }}</ref> Charles's Scottish cypher uses the [[Crown of Scotland]] instead.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Grierson |first1=Jamie |title=King Charles III's official monogram design released by palace |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/26/king-charles-iiis-official-monogram-design-released-by-palace |access-date=26 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=26 September 2022}}</ref><gallery mode="nolines">
File:Royal Cypher of King Charles III.svg|King Charles III's royal cypher surmounted with a Tudor Crown
File:Royal Cypher of King Charles III (Scotland).svg|King Charles III's royal cypher surmounted by the [[Crown of Scotland]]
File:Royal Cypher of King Charles III (Canada).svg|King Charles III's royal cypher surmounted by the [[Canadian royal symbols#Canadian Royal Crown|Canadian Royal Crown]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/royal-symbols-titles/royal-crown-cypher.html#a2 |title=Canadian Royal Crown and Royal Cypher - The Royal Cypher |author= |date= |work=Government of Canada |access-date=29 May 2024 |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929225100/https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/royal-symbols-titles/royal-crown-cypher.html#a2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
File:Dual Cypher of King Charles and Queen Camilla of Great Britain.svg|Dual cypher of King Charles III and [[Queen Camilla]]
File:Queen Camilla cypher.svg|Royal cypher of Queen Camilla, consort of King Charles III
</gallery>

===Elizabeth II===
[[File:Royal Mail van, Newry, March 2010.JPG|thumb|Cypher of Elizabeth II on a Royal Mail van in Northern Ireland]]
The cypher for [[Elizabeth II]] was ''{{serif|E{{sc|II}}R}}'', standing for ''Elizabeth II'' {{lang|la|Regina}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=1952-07-18 |title=Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth ll |pages=1 |work=[[The Morning Bulletin]] |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57241991 |access-date=2021-04-27}}</ref> and was usually surmounted by a stylised version of St. Edward's Crown. In Scotland, as a result of the '[[Pillar Box War]]', which was a dispute over the correct title of the new monarch ([[Elizabeth I|Elizabeth I of England and Ireland]] was not a monarch of Scotland, so the new queen would have been Elizabeth&nbsp;I, not II, in Scotland according to that view), after 1953 new [[post box]]es carried only the Crown of Scotland image rather than the ''{{serif|E{{sc|II}}R}}'' cypher, which continued to be used in the rest of the United Kingdom and in the other realms and territories.

The production of the cypher was an early step in the preparations for her [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|coronation]] in 1953 as it had to be embroidered on to the uniforms of the [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|Royal Household]] and on other articles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vintage Reader's Digest 1953: Preparing to Crown a Queen - Reader's Digest|url=https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/vintage-readers-digest-1953-preparing-to-crown-a-queen|access-date=2021-04-27|website=www.readersdigest.co.uk|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428001054/https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/inspire/life/vintage-readers-digest-1953-preparing-to-crown-a-queen|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cyphers for other members of the [[Commonwealth realm#Royal family|royal family]] are designed by the [[College of Arms]] or [[Court of the Lord Lyon]] and are subsequently approved by the monarch.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Palmer|first=Richard|date=2009-01-07|title=Prince Harry pays tribute to Diana with royal cypher|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/78791/Prince-Harry-pays-tribute-to-Diana-with-royal-cypher|access-date=2021-04-27|website=Express.co.uk|language=en}}</ref><gallery mode="nolines">
File:Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.svg|Queen Elizabeth II's royal cypher, surmounted by [[St Edward's crown]]
File:Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II (in Scotland).svg|Queen Elizabeth II's royal cypher, surmounted by the [[Crown of Scotland]]
File:Dual Cypher of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Great Britain.svg|A dual cypher for Elizabeth II and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] from a 1972 coin marking their 25th wedding anniversary
File:Royal Cypher of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.svg|Royal cypher of Prince Philip, consort of Queen Elizabeth II
</gallery>

==Elsewhere==

British royal cyphers are still visible on several public buildings and old [[post boxes]] in the [[Republic of Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9i7vCwAAQBAJ&dq=%22royal+cyphers%22+ireland&pg=PT483|title=The Social History of Ireland: Including the Seamy Side|first=Desmond|last=Keenan|date=March 16, 2016|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=9781514471333 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://historianruby.com/2018/04/01/royal-ciphers-on-postboxes-a-brief-guide/|title=Royal Ciphers on Postboxes: a Brief Guide|date=April 1, 2018}}</ref>

Other royal houses have also made use of royal or imperial cyphers; [[Ottoman Sultans|Ottoman sultans]] had a calligraphic signature known as their [[tughra]].

All the monarchs of [[Monarchies in Europe|Europe's six other surviving kingdoms]] use cyphers, with royal crowns above them.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} [[Harald V of Norway|King Harald V of Norway]] uses the letter H crossed with the Arabic numeral 5; [[Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden|King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden]] uses the letters C and G overlapping with the Roman numeral XVI below them; [[King Felipe VI of Spain]] uses the letter F with the Roman numeral; and [[Frederik X of Denmark]] uses two letter Fs with the Roman numeral X intertwined. [[Philippe of the Belgians|King Philippe of the Belgians]] uses the letters P and F intertwined, referring to the fact that his name is Philippe in [[French language|French]] and Philipp in [[German language|German]], but Filip in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], the three main languages in [[Belgium]]. [[King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands]] and his [[Queen Maxima]] share a joint cypher consisting of the letter W entwined with the letter M.

The [[insignia]] of "N III" for [[Napoleon III|Napoléon III]] is seen on some Paris bridges, such as the [[Pont au Change]].

King [[Maha Vajiralongkorn]] of [[Thailand]] uses a cypher made up of his initials in [[Thai alphabet|Thai script]] ("{{Lang|th|ว.ป.ร.}}" V.P.R.{{snd}} {{Transliteration|th|Vajiralongkorn Parama Rajadhiraj}}, an equivalent of {{Transliteration|th|Vajiralongkorn}} {{lang|la|Rex}}).{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==Gallery==
===Commonwealth===
<gallery>
File:Cypher of King Charles III.svg|The royal cypher of Charles III
File:Cypher of Elizabeth II.svg|The royal cypher of Queen Elizabeth II, using [[St Edward's Crown]]
File:E2R Fort Régent 1806 1976 Jèrri.jpg|Variant Queen Elizabeth II cypher in [[Jersey]], with [[Arabic numeral|Arabic]] instead of [[Roman numerals|Roman]] numerals typically employed
File:West Yorkshire Constabulary.jpg|The cypher of Queen Elizabeth II on a [[Police in the United Kingdom|police]] cap or helmet badge
File:Royal Cypher of King George VI.svg|The most common variant of [[King George VI]]'s cypher
File:Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.svg|Royal cypher of [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother|Queen Elizabeth]], consort of King George VI and later The Queen Mother
File:Royal Cypher of King Edward VIII.svg|The royal cypher of King [[Edward VIII]], using the [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]]
File:Postal Station K.jpg|The former [[Canada Post|Postal Station K]] in [[Toronto]] (pictured in 2006) displays above its main entrance ''E{{sc|VIII}}R'', the royal cypher of [[King Edward VIII]]
File:Cypher of George V.svg|Royal cypher of King [[George V]], using the Tudor Crown
File:Hong Kong Post street posting box number 110.jpg|A [[Hong Kong]] mailbox with a cypher of King George V
File:Royal Cypher of Mary of Teck, Queen of the United Kingdom (variant).svg|Royal cypher of [[Mary of Teck|Queen Mary]], consort of King George V
File:Royal Cypher of King Edward VII.svg|The royal cypher of King [[Edward VII]], using the [[Tudor Crown (heraldry)|Tudor Crown]]
File:ERI (Edward Rex Imperator) on Indian railway coach c1907.jpg|The royal and imperial cypher of King [[Edward VII]], ERI [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edwardus Rex Imperator]], used on an Indian railway wagon
File:Windsor letterbox 02.JPG|A [[Royal Mail]] [[post box]] in [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] in [[Berkshire]] bearing the royal cypher of [[King Edward VII]], an intertwined ''E{{sc|VII}}R''
File:Royal Cypher of Alexandra of Denmark, Queen of the United Kingdom.svg|Royal cypher of [[Alexandra of Denmark|Queen Alexandra]], consort of King Edward VII
File:RVO-Star.jpg|The royal and imperial Cypher of [[Queen Victoria]] forms a part of the emblem of the [[Royal Victorian Order]] surrounded by a [[Brunswick star]]
File:Richmond Green, railings round the green.jpg|A railing with the royal cypher of King [[William IV]]
File:Monogram George III of United Kingdom.jpg|Cypher of [[George III]] on a cannon at [[Elizabeth Castle]], Jersey
File:George II cipher monogram.jpg|The cypher of [[George II of Great Britain and Ireland|King George II of Great Britain and Ireland]], employing an [[Arabic numeral]] '2'
</gallery>

===Elsewhere===
<gallery>
File:Byzantine Palaiologos Eagle.svg|The [[double-headed eagle]], the most recognized emblem of the [[Byzantine Empire]], with the ''sympilema'' (dynastic cypher) of the [[Palaeologi]] in the centre
File:King Saint Stephen signature.svg|Royal monogram of King [[Stephen I of Hungary]]
File:Small Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia 1790.svg|Arms of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] including the cypher of King [[Friedrich I of Prussia]] at the centre
File:Al Maktoum royal cypher.jpg|The cypher of Dubai Sovereign H.H. Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
File:Royal Monogram of King George I of Greece.svg|Cypher of [[George I of Greece]]
File:Base de farola fernandina.jpg|Base of a [[Spain|Spanish]] style [[Street light#Farola fernandina|lamp post]] with the cypher of [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|King Ferdinand VII]]
File:Монограмма Екатерины.jpg|Royal cypher (monogram) of [[Catherine the Great|Catherine II]] of Russia
File:Royal Monogram of Charles III, Duke of Brabant.svg|The monogram of [[Charles II of Spain|Charles III of Brabant]]
File:The Royal Cypher of King Carol II of Romania on the porch roof of the Royal Palace of Bucharest.jpg|The royal cypher of [[Carol II of Romania|King Carol II of Romania]] (two opposed Cs) decorates the porch roofs at the entrances in the [[Royal Palace of Bucharest]].
File:Royal Monogram of King Michael of Romania.svg|Royal cypher of [[Michael I of Romania|King Michael I of Romania]]
File:Royal Monogram of Princess Margarita Of Romania.svg|Royal cypher of [[Margareta of Romania]]
File:Royal Monogram of Felipe VI of Spain.svg|Royal cypher of King [[Felipe VI of Spain]]
File:Royal Monogram of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.svg|Royal cypher of Queen [[Margrethe II|Margrethe II of Denmark]]
File:Royal Monogram of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.svg|Royal cypher of King [[Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden]]
File:Great Seal of the Korean Empire.png|Great Seal of [[Gojong of Korea]]
File:The Imperial Seal of the Late Korean Empire.png|Coat of arms of [[House of Yi]] of [[Korean Empire|Korea]]
File:Royal Monogram of King Harald V of Norway.svg|Royal cypher of King [[Harald V of Norway]]
File:Royal Monogram of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.svg|Royal cypher of [[Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg]]
File:Royal Monogram of King Umberto II of Italy.svg|Royal cypher of King [[Umberto II of Italy]]
File:Royal Monogram of King Nicholas I of Montenegro.svg|Royal cypher of [[Nicholas I of Montenegro|King Nicholas I of Montenegro]]
File:Trono de Dom Pedro II.png|Imperial cypher of Emperor [[Pedro II of Brazil]] on his throne. The "J" represents the capital i, for ''Imperador'', the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word for emperor
File:Royal Monogram of King Rama IV.svg|Cypher of Rama IV of Siam
File:Royal Monogram of King Rama V.svg|Cypher of Rama V of Siam
File:Royal Monogram of Vajiravudh - รร6.svg|Cypher of Rama VI of Siam
File:Royal Monogram of Prajadhipok.svg|Cypher of Rama VII of Siam
File:Royal Monogram of King Rama VIII.svg|Cypher of Rama VIII of Siam
File:Royal Monogram of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.svg|Cypher of Rama IX ([[Bhumibol Adulyadej]]) of Thailand
File:Royal Flag of King Rama IX.svg|The personal flag with the cypher of Rama IX
File:Royal Monogram of King Rama X.svg|Cypher of Rama X ([[Maha Vajiralongkorn]]) of Thailand
File:Yogyakarta Sultanate Hamengkubhuwono X Emblem.svg|Coat of arms of the [[Hamengkubuwono|House of Hamengkubuwono]] of [[Yogyakarta Sultanate|Yogyakarta]]
File:Emblem of Pakualaman.svg|Coat of arms of the [[Pakualaman|Principality of Pakualaman]]
</gallery>

==See also==
{{commons category|Royal monograms}}
* [[Flags of Elizabeth II]]
* [[H7 (monogram)]]
* [[Heraldic badge]]
* ''[[MacCormick v Lord Advocate]]''
* [[Mon (emblem)]]
* [[Royal sign-manual]]
* [[Signum manus]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Canadian royal symbols}}
{{Personal names}}

[[Category:Monarchy]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Australia]]
[[Category:Monarchy of Canada]]
[[Category:Monograms]]
[[Category:State ritual and ceremonies]]