The etched decoration of this armour was well-suited to Henry, Prince of Wales (1594–1612), heir to a maritime nation. It includes military trophies, mermen blowing conches, ships, anchors, oars and tridents, as well as the figure of Neptune, god of the sea, on the breastplate and backplate. 

The nautical theme was evidently a popular one. In a masque held at Whitehall on 5 June 1610, two days after Henry had been installed as Prince of Wales, his mother Queen Anne dressed herself in the guise of Thetis, wife of Neptune, and presented King James with a trident and the Prince with a rich sword and a scarf. The tilting on the following day was followed by ‘a gallant Sea-fight’ and a display of fireworks.