A
cap of maintenance, known in heraldic language as a
chapeau gules (French: "red hat"), is a ceremonial
cap of
crimson velvet lined with
ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or special honour. It is worn with the high part to the fore, the tapering tail behind. It may substitute for the
torse in the
heraldic achievement of a person of special honour granted the privilege by the monarch. It thus appears in such cases on top of the
helm and below the
crest. It does not, however, feature in the present
royal arms of England, which show the royal crest upon the royal crown, itself upon the royal helmet.