The Prince of Wales's feathers
Preserved but no longer current.
The tradition is that the Black Prince, haying slain John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, in the Battle of Cressy, assumed his crest and motto. The crest consisted of three ostrich feathers, and the motto was Ich dien (I serve). Much controversy has arisen on the question; the crest, for instance, has been stated to be a rebus of Queen Philippa's hereditary title — viz.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Prince of Wales's feathers” mean?
The tradition is that the Black Prince, haying slain John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, in the Battle of Cressy, assumed his crest and motto. The crest consisted of three ostrich feathers, and the motto was Ich dien (I serve). Much controversy has arisen on the question; the crest, for instance, has been stated to be a rebus of Queen Philippa's hereditary title — viz.
Is “The Prince of Wales's feathers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.