Royal Standard (United Kingdom)

:"For other monarchs' standards, see Royal Standard." The Royal Standard of 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 of the United Kingdom is varied for use in Scotland.

Although almost universally called a standard, such flags when used in the United Kingdom are banners of arms, as they comprise the shield of the Royal Arms. Outside of the United Kingdom, the Royal Standard is usually a national flag with a blue disc containing a wreath of gold roses encircling the crowned letter 'E', (for 'Elizabeth'), superimposed upon it.

The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom 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 was also flown aboard the royal yacht when it was in service and the Queen was on board. The only church that may fly a Royal Standard, even without the presence of the Sovereign, is Westminster Abbey, which is known as a "royal peculiar". Other churches generally are not allowed to hoist a 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 Scotland is flying above Holyrood Palace or Balmoral Castle, instead of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom used in Scotland, this also indicates 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 the Sovereign, 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 in 1997, 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).

England, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas

In England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and outside the United Kingdom, the flag is divided 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 of the United Kingdom, apart from minor changes, (notably to the form of harp used to represent Ireland), dates to the reign of Queen Victoria. Earlier Royal Standards of the United Kingdom incorporated the Arms of Hanover and Kingdom of France, representing title of Elector (later King) of Hanover and the theoretical claim throne of France.

Famous Royal Standards of former British Monarchs include the "Scotland Impaled" Royal Standard of Queen Anne, the "Hanover Quartered" Royal Standards of King George I to George III, and the "Hanover crowned" Royal Standards of George III to William IV. The latter contained the Royal coat of arms of Hanover superimposed over what became the modern Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, (although this particular standard's visual representations of England, Ireland and Scotland in their respective quadrants is marginally different to the modern versions).

cotland

In Scotland a separate version of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom 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 only in the second quadrant. The third quadrant remains unaltered from the version used throughout the remainder of the United Kingdom and overseas.

Other members of the Royal Family also use this Scottish version when in Scotland, with the only exceptions to this protocol being the consort of a queen regnant and the heir apparent, the Duke of Rothesay, each of whom has their own individual standard.

The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom 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. A variation of the Royal Standard of Scotland is used by the heir apparent to the King of Scots, the Duke of Rothesay, whose personal Royal Standard is the Royal Standard of Scotland defaced with an Azure coloured label of three points. (The banner of the Duke of Rothesay also features the same, displayed upon an inner shield).

Other members of the Royal Family

Variants of the Royal Standard are used for other members of the British Royal Family.

Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales has a number of distinct standards and banners for use throughout the United Kingdom; those for use in England and Northern Ireland, those for use in Scotland, those for use in Wales, and those for use in Cornwall.

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.

ee 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

Additional reading

* Norman Davies, "The Isles: A History" (Palgrave Macmillan, 1999)

References