Royal Standard (United Kingdom)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other monarchs' standards, see Royal Standard.
The Royal Standard in the United Kingdom is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom. Different standards are used in the queen's other Commonwealth realms, and the Royal Standard is varied for use in Scotland.
Although almost universally called a standard, the flags used in the United Kingdom are banners of arms, as they comprise the shield of the Royal Arms. Outside the United Kingdom the flags are usually the national banner with a blue disc containing a wreath of gold roses encircling the crowned letter 'E' (for 'Elizabeth') superimposed upon it.
The Royal Standard is flown when the queen is in residence in one of the royal residences, on the queen's car on official journeys and on aircraft (when on the ground). It may also be flown on any building, official or private, during a visit by the queen, if the owner or proprietor so requests. The Royal Standard also used to be flown on board the royal yacht, when it was in service and the queen was on board. The only church that may fly the Royal Standard, even without presence of monarch, is Westminster Abbey, which is known as a "royal peculiar". Other churches generally are not allowed to hoist the Royal Standard.
The Royal Standard is flown at royal residences only when the sovereign is present. If the Union Flag is flying above Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle instead of the Royal Standard, the queen is not in residence. If the ancient Royal Standard of the King of Scots is flying above Holyrood Palace or Balmoral Castle, instead of the Royal Standard used in Scotland, this also signals that the queen is not in residence.
When the queen attends the UK Parliament at the Palace of Westminster, the Royal Standard flies from Victoria Tower.
Unlike the Union Flag, the Royal Standard is never flown at half mast, even after the death of a monarch, as there is always a sovereign on the throne. When controversy arose regarding the lack of a flag at half-mast at Buckingham Palace following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, a compromise was reached whereby the Union Flag was flown at half-mast. (The queen was then in Scotland; previously, no flag was flown over Buckingham Palace when the queen was not present. Since then, the Union Flag has been flown in the queen's absence.) However the Union Flag can be lowered to fly at half-mast over Buckingham Place, in times of national mourning (for example after the death of the Queen Mother, 9/11 and the 7 July 2005 London bombings).
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[edit] England, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas
In England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and outside the United Kingdom, the flag is split into four quadrants. The first and fourth quadrants represent the ancient Kingdom of England and contain three gold lions, (or leopards), passant gardant on a red field; the second quadrant represents the ancient Kingdom of Scotland and contains a red lion rampant on a gold field; the third quadrant represents the ancient Kingdom of Ireland and contains a version of the gold harp from the coat of arms of Ireland on a blue field.
The modern Royal Standard, apart from minor changes (notably to the form of harp used to represent Ireland), dates back to the reign of Queen Victoria. Earlier Royal Standards incorporated the Arms of Hanover and France, representing the monarch's position as Elector (later King) of Hanover and the theoretical claim made to the French throne.
The most famous standards include the Scotland Impaled Royal Standard of Queen Anne, Hanover Quartered of Kings George I to George III, and Hanover crowned of George III to William IV. The latter contained the royal coat of arms of Hanover superimposed over what is the modern Royal Standard (though the standard's visual representation of England, Ireland and Scotland in their quadrants was marginally different).
[edit] Scotland
In Scotland a separate flag is used whereby the red Lion Rampant of the Kingdom of Scotland appears in the first and fourth quadrants, displacing the three gold lions passant gardant of England, which occur in the second quadrant. The third quadrant remains unaltered from the version used throughout the remainder of the United Kingdom.
Other members of the Royal Family also use the Scottish version of the Royal Standard when in Scotland, with the only exceptions to this protocol being the consort of a queen regnant and the Duke of Rothesay, both having their own individual standard.
The Royal Standard used in Scotland differs from the ancient Royal Standard of Scotland in that the latter portrays the Lion Rampant in its entirety. As the banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland, the Royal Standard of Scotland remains a personal banner of the monarch and, despite being commonly used as an unofficial second flag of Scotland, its use is restricted under an act passed in 1672 by the Parliament of Scotland.
The Royal Standard of Scotland is used officially at Scottish royal residencies, when the monarch is not in residence, and by representatives of the Crown, including the First Minister, Lord Lieutenants in their lieutenancies, the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and Lord Lyon King of Arms.
[edit] Other members of the Royal Family
Variants of the Royal Standard are used for other members of the British Royal Family.
[edit] Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales has four separate standards in the United Kingdom: one for use in England and Northern Ireland, one for use in Scotland, one for use in Wales and one for use in Cornwall.
| Standard | For Use In | Description |
|---|---|---|
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England and Northern Ireland | The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is used, with a white label of three points. In the centre of the flag, the crowned arms of the Principality of Wales — four quadrants, the first and fourth with a red lion on a gold field, and the second and third with a gold lion on a red field — is superimposed. This is the standard that is used outside the United Kingdom by the prince. |
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Wales | The flag is a banner of the coat of arms of the Principality of Wales and is divided into four quadrants, the first and fourth with a red lion on a gold field, and the second and third with a gold lion on a red field. Superimposed is a green shield bearing a crown. |
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Scotland | The flag is based on two Scottish titles of the heir apparent: Duke of Rothesay and Lord of the Isles. The flag is divided into four quadrants. The first and fourth quadrants include a blue and white checkerboard band in the centre of a gold field. The second and third quadrants include a ship on a white background. A gold shield bearing the lion rampant of Scotland is superimposed. |
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Cornwall | The flag is "sable fifteen bezants Or", that is, a black field bearing fifteen gold coins, which Prince Charles uses in his capacity as Duke of Cornwall. |
[edit] Princes and princesses of royal blood
Other members of the Royal Family have personal standards of their own. These are variants of the Royal Standard, (including that which is used in Scotland), with the bearing of a white label and either three points or pendants (for children of a sovereign), or five points (grandchildren of a sovereign). Traditionally all princes and princesses of royal blood (i.e. descendants of the sovereign) are granted arms on their 18th birthday, thus giving them a banner to fly from their residences:
The following members of the Royal Family have personal standards
| Standard | Member of the Royal Family | Description |
|---|---|---|
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The Duke of York | The middle point bears a blue anchor, while the first and last points are blank. |
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The Earl of Wessex | The middle point bears a red rose, while the first and last points are blank. |
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The Princess Royal | The first and last point each bear a red cross. The middle point bears a red heart. |
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Prince William of Wales | Unlike other grandchildren of the sovereign, Prince William uses a label with three points. The middle point bears a red shell, while the first and last points are blank. |
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Prince Henry of Wales | The first, middle, and last points each bear a red shell, while the second and fourth points are blank. |
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Princess Beatrice of York | The first, middle, and last points each bear a bee, while the second and fourth points are blank. |
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The Duke of Gloucester | White label with five points, three with St George's Cross, two with red lions passant guardant. |
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The Duke of Kent | White label with five points, three with blue Anchor, two with St George's Cross. |
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Prince Michael of Kent | White label with five points, three with St George's Cross, two with blue anchors. |
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Princess Alexandra | White label with five points, two with hearts, two with anchors, one with St George's Cross. |
[edit] Consorts of the British monarch
Queens consort of the British monarch are granted arms based on the Royal Standard and their own personal arms from before their marriage, or the arms of their family. In Scotland, a queen consort will use the Scottish version of the Royal Standard. They do not have different standards for the Commonwealth realms that have their own Royal Standards.
Consorts of a queen regnant are not granted use of the British Royal Standard. They use standards based on their own family arms.
| Standard | Consort | Details |
|---|---|---|
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Consort of Queen Elizabeth II (1948 - Present) |
Standard based on the Duke's Greek and Danish roots. The flag is divided into four quarters:
The first quarter, representing Denmark, consists of three blue lions passant and nine red hearts on a yellow field. The second quarter, representing Greece, consists of a white cross on a blue field. The third quarter, representing the duke's surname, Mountbatten, contains of five black and white vertical stripes. The fourth quarter, alludes to his title as Duke of Edinburgh, and includes a black and red castle which is also part of the city of Edinburgh's arms. |
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Consort of George VI (1936 - 2002) |
The royal standard impaled with the arms of her father, Claude Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. |
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Consort of George V (1910 – 1953) |
The Royal Standard impaled with the arms of her father, Francis, Duke of Teck and the Hanoverian coat of arms as used by her grandfather, the Duke of Cambridge. |
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Consort of Edward VII (1901 – 1928) |
The Royal Standard, impaled with the royal coat of arms of Denmark. |
[edit] Other members of the Royal Family
Other members of the Royal Family may use the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, but within an ermine border, (a white border with black spots representing the ermine fur). This standard is mainly used for the wives of British princes, or members of the Royal Family who have not yet been granted their own arms. Diana, Princess of Wales and more recently, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester had this standard draped over their coffins at their funerals.
[edit] See also
- List of British flags
- Union Flag
- Commonwealth Jack
- Protectorate Jack
- Queen's Personal Australian Flag
- Queen's Personal Barbadian Flag
- Queen's Personal Canadian Flag
- Queen's Personal Jamaican Flag
- Queen's Personal New Zealand Flag
[edit] Additional reading
- Norman Davies, The Isles: A History (Palgrave Macmillan, 1999)
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