Royal Standard

The Royal Standard is the flag representing the monarch and the United Kingdom. It is flown from buildings and vehicles when the monarch is actually present. In the absence of the monarch, the Union Jack is flown instead.

Use

The Royal Standard is flown when the monarch stays in one of the official residences, on his/her car during official journeys and on aircrafts. Additionally, with permission and by request of the proprietor, it may also be flown from any public or private building when the monarch is on visit. However, the Royal Standard may not be flown from ecclesiastical buildings.[1]

In contrast to other flags, the Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast. This is due to the fact that, even if one monarch has died, monarchy will not die and the reign passes on to a successor.[2]

Appearance

The Royal Standard is in use since the Union of Crowns in 1603, but its appearance has changed several times.

The current Royal Standard is made of four quarterings. The first and fourth quartering, set on the upper left and lower right, show the three lions passant which represent England. The second quartering shows a red lion rampant for Scotland. The third quartering then shows a golden harp which represents Ireland.[3]

A slightly different version of the Royal Standard is used in Scotland. Here, the first and fourth quartering show the red lion rampant for Scotland, while the second quartering shows the three lions passant for England. The position of the harp representing Ireland remains unchanged.

Wales has a special position within the United Kingdom since it is a Principality, represented by the Prince of Wales, not a separate kingdom. Wales has been included in the Royal Arms before England's union with Scotland and Ireland and is therefore not represented in the Royal Standard.[4]

Other Uses

Different variants of the Royal Standard are in use to represent other members of the Royal Family.[5]

Sources

[1], [2], [4] http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/Symbols/RoyalStandard.aspx (31.05.2010)

[3], [5] http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/castle/flagsandflagstaff.html (31.05.2010)