Red Dragon of Wales – the Red Dragon of Wales is, by far, the oldest heraldic beast in the Royal Arms. It predates the modern kingdom and was first used by Welsh kings in the 5th century CE. By the 7th century CE, the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd was famous in Wales. Claiming his own descent from Welsh kings, King Henry VII ascended the throne of England at the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485 and brought the Red Dragon in as a supporter of his Royal Arms alongside the White Greyhound of Richmond. In this design, the Red Dragon supports a shield with a quartered shield bearing lions in each quadrant, the same image used by the coat of arms of the last native Prince of Wales.