Prince William honors mother in coat of arms

LONDON (Reuters) -- Britain's Prince William has paid tribute to his late mother, Princess Diana, in the new coat of arms that marks his 18th birthday.

He restored Diana's family insignia -- a small, red scallop shell from her Spencer family coat of arms -- and incorporated it in the new insignia.

"It is a welcome innovation to incorporate maternal symbols into the Royal Family's arms, and it is something that Prince William and his family wanted to do," said Peter Gwynne-Jones, responsible for royal heraldry.

A royal license is being drafted for the design, which has been approved by William's father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

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