London ( CNN ) -- A new coat of arms to represent Prince William and his wife , Catherine , as a married couple was unveiled Friday , more than two years after their televised wedding was watched by people around the globe . The new conjugal coat of arms will `` represent them in heraldic terms as a married couple , '' Kensington Palace said in a news release . The coat of arms was approved by William 's grandmother , Britain 's Queen Elizabeth II , earlier this year but was shown publicly for the first time Friday . It follows the tradition for conjugal arms in showing the separate shields for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge side-by-side , the palace said . Prince William 's shield was given to him on his 18th birthday by the queen and shows various royal emblems from different parts of the United Kingdom , while Catherine 's shield is from the Middleton family 's coat of arms . That coat of arms was granted to Catherine 's father , Michael Middleton , in March 2011 , ahead of the couple 's April wedding , the palace said . According to the College of Arms , its three sprigs of oak , or acorns , refer to Michael Middleton 's three children and echo the oak trees that ring the area where they grew up . After her marriage , Catherine was granted her own coat of arms by the Queen -- made by placing her father 's arms beside those of her husband in what is known as an `` impaled '' coat of arms . If any British citizens living in England , Northern Ireland or Wales want to follow in the Middleton family 's footsteps , they can also apply to the College of Arms in London for their own coat of arms , according to the body 's website , while Scots can apply in Edinburgh . The heraldic records held by the College of Arms stretch all the way back to the 12th century , it says .
William and Catherine have a new coat of arms to represent them as a married couple . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were married in 2011 . Catherine 's father , Michael Middleton , was granted a coat of arms ahead of the wedding . The new coat of arms places William and Catherine 's respective shields side by side .