Found on the Tower of London website.
One of the most striking things that I noticed upon viewing the crown jewels in the Tower of London was the symbols that adorned the crowns, scepters, and other regalia. Specifically, the imagery of the fleur-de-lis that reappeared on each and every piece (flanking the crosses on the crowns above) had me questioning why a specifically French symbol was so prevalent in the English monarchy. After further research, I found that the fleur-de-lis on English regalia was an outdated symbol that represented the English throne's power over France; a symbol that was never abolished, though its meaning was relinquished centuries ago.
As seen in the evolution of the royal coats of arms, the fleur-de-lis was adopted as a symbol on the family crest by Edward III in 1340, who had a claim to the French throne through his mother. This lasted for nearly 500 years, until in 1801, King George III renounced his claim to the French throne through the Treaty of Paris. It is astonishing to see these ancient coats of arms bearing the symbols of France just as prominently as those of England. Similarly, the prevalence of the symbol on the crown jewels was equally shocking. As artifacts that seem so entirely English, it is odd that they should just as equally recall images of France.
The best way to attempt to reconcile this disconnect is to view the trait of ruling from afar (a geographically distant monarchy) as a distinctly historic English trait. By adopting the French symbols, England was attempting to create one identity under one monarch, though they were geographically separated from the French. The fact that this symbol has not disappeared from the regalia represents the power of memory: England was once a colonial world power, and now is simply a world power on its own. Though France is no longer under the control of England, the memory of that relationship lives on in the royal symbols upon the crown jewels.
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