Swede's coat of arms tattoo rejected

SOLVESBORG, Sweden, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- A Swedish woman said the National Archives rejected her request for permission to tattoo the Greater National Coat of Arms on her wrist.

The 19-year-old Solvesborg woman said she wrote a letter to the National Archives saying she wanted to express her patriotism by tattooing the Greater National Coat of Arms or the Swedish flag on her wrist, Swedish news agency TT reported Wednesday.

Henrik Klackenberg, chief heraldist at the National Archives, said in a response to the woman that the coat of arms is the personal crest of the head of state and is usually reserved for use by the king, the armed forces, the Swedish parliament and other government departments.

However, the woman said Kalckenberg told her she was free to use the Swedish flag for her tattoo.