WIREDGOV

MI5 has, made a small change to its Badge to reflect the symbols of state chosen by His Majesty King Charles.

The crown at the top of the Badge is now the rounded Tudor Crown, which replaces the St Edward’s Crown that formed part of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher. 

The Tudor Crown features at the top of the King’s cypher.

MI5 has long enjoyed His Majesty’s recognition and we are proud to make this change. This marks the first change to our Badge since it was adopted in 1981.

The MI5 Badge

MI5’s Badge was adopted in 1981. At the centre of the Badge is a winged sea-lion: a mythical beast, half lion and half fish. The sea-lion (not to be confused with the aquatic mammal) represents our historical association with the UK’s armed forces. The lion’s head represents the British Army, the fish’s body represents the Royal Navy and the wings represent the Royal Air Force. 

Surrounding this central emblem are:

• The five-petalled cinquefoil, alluding to the “5” in MI5.
• The portcullis, representing Parliament and reflecting our role in upholding parliamentary democracy.
• The rose, which has historical associations with state intelligence work. Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth I’s spymaster, is widely considered to be the first British intelligence chief and used a rose as the seal on his signet ring.