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In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

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In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

To give their daughter Kate as much aristocratic heft as possible (and to quiet complaints about a commoner princess), Michael and Carole Middleton recently commissioned a family crest unveiled just in time for Friday’s Royal Wedding. Apparently, you don’t need to be to be royal or even noble to earn your own coat of arms. With this in mind, we designed crests for some of our city’s most celebrated clans. Illustrations by Nick Craine

Click on to see our illustrated coat of arms for Toronto’s flossiest families »

In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Newport-Mimrans

Joe Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran are Toronto’s royal couple of the runway. In keeping with their stylish but simple aesthetic, we’d choose a monogrammed bedroom slipper—Joe Fresh’s signature footwear, even in formal settings—set against a pink tartan background.

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In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Thomsons

David Thomson may be far and away the richest man in Canada (see: massive stakes in BellGlobeMedia, Reuters, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment), but he’s also got a bit of a bad-boy reputation. Remember the scandalous family exposé that ran in Maclean’s a few years back? In it, a source reflected on the differences between the famously gentle Lord Thomson of Fleet Street and his infamously less-gentle son David, saying, “Ken is a flower, David is a gun.”

In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Westons

A Weston clan tradition dictates that all males get a G moniker. We’ve also considered Hilary’s Irish roots, Galen Weston Junior’s green agenda and the fact that these people are the closest thing to a royal family we’re ever going to get (they’re also the only family on this list who are attending Will and Kate’s wedding). Throw that all together, and this is what we came up with.

In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Mulroneys

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Long before Carrie Bradshaw came along with her beloved Manolo Blahniks, Canada had Mila Mulroney—fashion plate, first lady and owner of more than 100 pairs of shoes. Now her daughter-in-law Jessica (herself of the Brown’s shoe dynasty) carries on the family tradition with a devotion to sky-high stilettos. As for the Mulroney men, well, we hear they’ve got something in common too.

In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Rogers

Okay, so this is more of a needlepoint pillow design than a crest, but we decided to go easy on the telecom clan. Sure, everyone we know has a bone to pick about their inflated phone bill, but hate the game, people, not the players. Besides, we’re pretty sure Netflix is exacting revenge as we speak. Oh, and the beehive that would make Priscilla Presley blush? A nod to Suzanne’s one-time signature ’do, of course.

In honour of Kate Middleton’s freshly pressed coat of arms, we design crests for Toronto’s blue blood

The Levys

Warm American pie (Eugene Levy has appeared in all seven movies) and the now defunct The Hills: The After Show (starring Eugene’s son Dan) have kept the Levys’ name in the public eye, but they will always be remembered for their horn-rimmed glasses and bushy eyebrows. This crest is kind of a no-brainer.

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Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”

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