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Several countries use the term Royal Standard to describe the flag used by the monarch and members of the royal family. This article concerns the Royal Standards used as the official flags of Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom and of the other Commonwealth Realms. Several Realms possess their own Royal Standards. 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 UK 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 only flown when the Sovereign is present. If the Union Jack is flying above Buckingham Palace instead of the Standard, The Queen is not in residence. When The Queen goes to Parliament, 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.
United KingdomIn England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and other British territories 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 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. In Scotland a separate flag is in use whereby the Lion Rampant appears in the first and fourth quadrants, replacing the lions passant which occur only in the second quadrant. 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). There are many pubs in the UK named after the Royal Standard. There is however, only one pub that is called "The Royal Standard of England" near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. This pub is also the oldest "Free house" pub in England. AustraliaThe Queen's Personal Australian Flag is divided into sixths, three in the upper half and three in the lower. The first sixth represents New South Wales and bears a red St George's Cross, upon which is a gold lion in the centre and a gold star on each arm. The second sixth represents Victoria and contains a Crown and five white stars on a blue field. The third sixth represents Queensland and consists of a blue Maltese cross, bearing a Crown, on a white field. The fourth sixth represents South Australia and includes an Australian piping shrike on a gold field. The fifth sixth represents Western Australia and consists of a black swan on a gold field. The last sixth represents Tasmania and contains a red lion on a white field. Over all is a gold seven-pointed star, representing the six states and the territories, and on top of the star is the aforementioned blue disc. BarbadosIn Barbados the flag is yellow, and consists of a bearded fig tree (with the leaves coloured blue) in the centre and a Pride of Barbados flower in each of the top corners. The fig tree is partly obscured by a blue disc. CanadaIn the Queen's Personal Canadian Flag the upper two-thirds of the flag is identical to the Standard of England, except that three fleurs-de-lis of France occur in the fourth quadrant. The lower third of the flag contains red maple leaves of Canada on a white field. Overall is the aforementioned blue disc. JamaicaIn Jamaica the flag is white and bears a red St George's Cross. On each arm of the Cross is a gold pineapple. A blue disc is placed in the centre of the Cross. New ZealandThe Queen's Personal New Zealand Flag is divided into four quadrants, but there is a white vertical stripe passing through the centre. The first quadrant includes four red stars on a blue field. The second quadrant consists of a golden fleece on a red field. The third quadrant contains a golden wheat sheaf on a red field. The final quadrant includes two crossed gold hammers on a blue field. The central stripe consists of three ships, with the blue disk superimposing the flag, obscuring the centre ship. Other Commonwealth NationsThe other Commonwealth realms do not have their own Royal Standards. In Commonwealth countries in which she is not Queen, another flag is used that has the crowned letter 'E' in gold, surrounded by a garland of gold roses on a blue background. Sierra Leone [1], Mauritius [2], Malta [3] and Trinidad and Tobago [4] originally had their own Royal Standards, but these became obsolete when they became republics. Other members of the Royal FamilyVariants of the Royal Standard are used for other members of the British Royal Family. Prince of WalesHRH The Prince of Wales has separate standards in the UK: one used in England (and Northern Ireland), one in Scotland, and one in Wales.
Princes and Princesses of the Blood RoyalOther members of the Royal Family have personal standards of their own. These are variants of the Royal Standard, 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 the Blood Royal (ie 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
Consorts of the British monarchQueen consorts of the British monarch are granted arms based on the Royal Standard and the arms of their father. Thus their standard consists of the Royal Standard impaled with their paternal arms. The example of the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother shows the Royal Standard impaled with the arms of her paternal family, the Earl of Strathmore. Queen Mary's standard was 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. Queen Alexandra's standard was the Royal Standard impaled with the Royal Arms of Denmark. 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 Royal Standard. They will use Standards based on their own family arms. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh has his a standard based on his Greek and Danish roots. The flag is divided into four quadrants. The first quadrant, representing Denmark, consists of three blue lions passant and nine red hearts on a yellow field. The second quadrant, representing Greece, consists of a white cross on a blue field. The third quadrant, representing the Duke's surname, Mountbatten, contains five black and white vertical stripes. The fourth quadrant, 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. Other members of the Royal FamilyOther members of the Royal Family may use the Royal Standard of England, but within an ermine border, i.e. 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. See alsoAdditional reading
es:Estandarte del Monarca Británico fr:Royal Standard it:Stendardo di monarchi britannici no:Storbritannias kongelige flagg zh:英国王室旗帜
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