Can you choose to get a coat of arms if you are knighted?

Answer 1

In countries like the United Kingdom, where there is a continuing history of official use and regulation of Coats of Arms, you can get Arms if you are determined to be eligible to display a coat of arms. A coat of arms is issued to one person, not a family and this is decided by the office of heralds or the King of Arms. If you do not have authorization from the heralds you are not able to display any coat of arms. The rules for determining who is eligible to display a coat of arms are very similar to the rules for becoming King or Queen. However, even the proper heir cannot display the coat of arms until he or she has received authorization by the heralds. At any one time, only one person my rightfully display a coat of arms. To find out more about this the British government operates a web site. However in countries like the United States, where heraldry is not regulated, there is no limitation on the creation or display of Coats of Arms. There is also little value in recently created Coats of Arms since there is no limitation on them