What animal was the personal badge of King Richard III?

The white boar was the personal badge of King Richard III. It became one of the most recognisable symbols associated with the Yorkist king and his household.

Richard used the badge before and during his reign, when personal emblems helped nobles display allegiance in the politically dangerous world of the Wars of the Roses. He distributed large numbers of white-boar badges to supporters, including cloth examples recorded around his coronation in 1483. The boar may have carried several associations, including a possible pun on Eboracum, the Roman name for York.

The white boar is often confused with the white rose, the broader emblem of the House of York. Richard's badge was specifically a boar, while the Tudor rose later combined Yorkist and Lancastrian symbolism. Archaeological discoveries, including a silver-gilt boar found near the Bosworth battlefield, have helped confirm how closely the emblem was tied to Richard's military following.