Theroyal standard of the United Kingdom is thebanner of arms of themonarch of the United Kingdom, currentlyCharles III. It consists of themonarch's coat of arms in flag form, and is made up of four quarters containing the arms of the former kingdoms ofEngland,Ireland, andScotland. There are two versions of the banner, one used in Scotland in which the Scottish quarters take precedence, and one used elsewhere in which the English quarters take precedence. Since the 1960s,personal flags for the monarch in their role as sovereign of otherCommonwealth realms have been introduced.

The banner is flown to signify the presence of the monarch. It may be flown when they are present at one of their residences, from the car, ship, or aeroplane they are travelling in, and from any building they are visiting. The banner is never flown athalf-mast, as a symbol of the continuity of the monarchy, since there isalways a sovereign on the throne.^[2]

Although almost universally called a standard, inheraldic terminology the flag is a banner of arms, as it is a coat of arms in flag form;standards are more typically tapering flags on whichheraldic badges and mottoes are displayed.

InEngland,Northern Ireland,Wales, theCrown dependencies and theBritish Overseas Territories, the flag is divided into fourquadrants. The first and fourth quadrants represent the ancientKingdom of England and contain three goldlions (or "leopards"),passant guardant on a red field; the second quadrant represents the ancientKingdom of Scotland and contains a red lionrampant on a gold field; the third quadrant represents the ancientKingdom of Ireland and contains a version of the goldharp from thecoat of arms of Ireland on a blue field. The inclusion of the harp remains an issue for some in Ireland. In 1937Éamon de Valera, thenTaoiseach, askedDominions SecretaryMalcolm MacDonald if the harp quarter could be removed from the Royal Standard on the grounds that the Irish people had not given their consent to the Irish emblem being included. The request was denied, and the golden harp of Ireland remains.^[3]

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 ofQueen Victoria. Earlier Royal Standards of the United Kingdom incorporated the Arms ofHanover and of theKingdom of France, representing thetitle of Elector (laterKing) ofHanover and the theoreticalclaim to the throne of France, a claimdropped in 1800). The Hanoverian association terminated in 1837 with the accession of Queen Victoria who, being female, could not accede to Hanover underSalic law.

Famous Royal Standards of formerBritish Monarchs include theScotland Impaled Royal Standard of QueenAnne, theHanover Quartered Royal Standards of KingGeorge I toGeorge III, and theHanover crowned Royal Standards of George III toWilliam 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 artistic representations of the banners of England, Ireland and Scotland in their respective quadrants was marginally different from the versions used today.

Since 1998 (the year in whichScottish devolution legislation was enacted) a separate version of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom has been used by the monarch in Scotland, whereby the redLion Rampant of the Kingdom of Scotland appears in the first and fourth quadrants, displacing the three gold lionspassant guardant of England, which occur only in the second quadrant.^[4] The third quadrant, displaying the gold harp of Ireland, remains unaltered from that version used throughout the remainder of the United Kingdom and overseas. (Previously the same version of the standard was used throughout the United Kingdom).^[5]

The Scottish version of the Royal Standard was used to cover the coffin of QueenElizabeth II during the journey fromBalmoral to Edinburgh on 11 September 2022, during the procession on theRoyal Mile from thePalace of Holyroodhouse toSt. Giles' Cathedral on 12 September, and throughout the lying-at-rest period at St. Giles’, where the Royal Standard was surmounted by theCrown of Scotland, prior to being flown by theRoyal Air Force to London on 13 September.^[6] During the flight fromEdinburgh Airport toRAF Northolt, London, the Scottish version of the Royal Standard was replaced by the Royal Standard used in the rest of the United Kingdom.^[7]

Other members of the British royal family also use this Scottish version when in Scotland (except for theDuke of Rothesay who as the heir apparent has his own individual standard and individual banner).

The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom used in Scotland differs from theRoyal Standard of Scotland, which portrays the Lion Rampant in its entirety. As the banner of theRoyal Coat of Arms of Scotland, the Royal Standard of Scotland remains a personal banner of the monarch^[8] and, despite being commonly used as an unofficial second flag of Scotland, its use is restricted under anact passed in 1672 by theParliament of Scotland.^[9] However, in 1934,George V issued aroyal warrant authorising use of the Royal Banner of Scotland during theSilver Jubilee celebrations, due to take place the following year; such use being restricted to hand-held flags for "decorative ebullition" as a mark of loyalty to the Monarch.^[10]

A variation of the Royal Standard of Scotland is used by the heir apparent to theKing of Scots, the Duke of Rothesay, whose personal Royal Standard is the Royal Standard of Scotlanddefaced with anazure-colouredlabel of three points. (The personal banner of the Duke of Rothesay also features the same, displayed upon an inner shield, overlying the arms ofStewart of Appin).

The historic Royal Standard of Scotland is used officially at Scottish royal residences, when the monarch is not in residence, and by representatives of the Crown, including theFirst Minister,Lord Lieutenants in their lieutenancies, theLord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, andLord Lyon King of Arms.

The direct heir to the Throne has several distinct standards and banners for use throughout the United Kingdom in representation of this position.William, Prince of Wales has five standards at use for his various roles and titles.

Standard	Title	Description
	Prince of Wales	The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, defaced with a three-point label in white. Superimposed is thearms of Llywelyn the Great – 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 – theinescutcheon is crowned with the Prince'scoronet. Used inEngland andNorthern Ireland, this banner was created in 1917.
	Prince of Wales	Thearms of Llywelyn the Great, on a green inescutcheon the Prince's coronet. Used inWales, this banner was created in 1962 at the suggestion ofPrince Philip.
	Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Lord of the Isles	Thearms of Stewart of Appin, on an inescutcheon those of the Duke of Rothesay. Used inScotland, this banner was created in 1974 at the suggestion of thenPrince Charles.
	Duke of Rothesay	TheRoyal Standard of Scotland, defaced with a three-point label in blue. As used in theKingdom of Scotland, this remains the ancient banner of the Duke of Rothesay, theheir apparent to theKing of Scots.[11]
	Duke of Cornwall	The flag is "sable fifteen bezants Or", that is, a black field bearing fifteen gold coins. Used inCornwall, this is the ancient banner of the Duke of Cornwall.

Historic

Standard	Title	Description
	Prince of Wales	The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, defaced with a three-point label in white. Superimposed is the coat of arms of theRoyal House of Saxony. This standard was designated for the Prince of Wales from 1859 to 1917, at which timeKing George V renamed the royal family from theHouse of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to theHouse of Windsor and renounced all German titles and claims in an act of British patriotism related to the ongoingFirst World War.

Other members of the royal family have personal standards of their own. These are variants of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom (including that which is used in Scotland), defaced with 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, listed according to the line of succession:

Standard	Member of the royal family	Description
	Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex	A three-point label, with each point charged with a red escallop taken from thearms of his motherDiana, Princess of Wales
		Scottish variant
	Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor	A three-point label, the second point charged with a blue anchor
		Scottish variant
	Princess Beatrice	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with abee
		Scottish variant
	Princess Eugenie	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with a Scottish thistle
		Scottish variant
	Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh	A three-point label, the second point charged with a Tudor rose
		Scottish variant
	Princess Anne, Princess Royal	A three-point label, the first and third points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second point charged with red heart
		Scottish variant
	Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second and fourth points charged with a lion passant guardant
		Scottish variant
	Prince Edward, Duke of Kent	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with a blue anchor, the second and fourth points charged with the Cross of St. George
		Scottish variant
	Prince Michael of Kent	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second and fourth points charged with a blue anchor
		Scottish variant
	Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy	A five-point label, the first and fifth points charged with a red heart, the second and fourth points charged with a blue anchor, the third point charged with the Cross of St. George
		Scottish variant

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 aqueen regnant are not granted use of the British Royal Standard. They use standards based on their own family arms. However, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha used a standard of the royal arms (with a label for difference) quartered with his own family arms.

Standard	Consort	Details
	Queen Camilla Consort ofCharles III (2022–present)	The Royal Standard impaled with her father's arms[12][13]
		Royal Arms of Scotland impaled with her father's arms (for use in Scotland)
	Prince Philip Consort ofElizabeth II (1952–2021)	The Standard is based on his 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 five black and white vertical stripes. The fourth quarter, which alludes to his title as Duke of Edinburgh, includes a black and red castle, which is also part of the city of Edinburgh's arms.
	Queen Elizabeth Consort ofGeorge VI (1936–2002)	The Royal Standard, impaled with the arms of her father,Claude Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
	Queen Mary Consort ofGeorge V (1910–1953)	The Royal Standard, impaled with the arms of her father,Francis, Duke of Teck, quartered with the Hanoverian coat of arms as used by her grandfather,Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.
	Queen Alexandra Consort ofEdward VII (1901–1925)	The Royal Standard, impaled with theroyal coat of arms of Denmark.
	Prince Albert Consort ofVictoria (1840–1861)	The Royal Standard defaced with a three-point label (with the second point charged with the Cross of St. George), quartered with thearms of Saxony.
	Queen Adelaide Consort ofWilliam IV (1830–1849)	The Royal Standard from 1816 to 1837, impaled with the arms of her father,Duke George I ofSaxe-Meiningen.
	Queen Caroline Consort ofGeorge IV (1820–1821)	The Royal Standard from 1816 to 1837, impaled with the arms of her father,Charles William Ferdinand,Duke of Brunswick.
	Queen Charlotte Consort ofGeorge III (1761–1818)	The Royal Standard from 1816 to 1837, impaled with the arms of her father,Duke Charles Louis Frederick ofMecklenburg-Strelitz.
		The Royal Standard from 1801 to 1816, impaled with the arms of her father, Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
		The Royal Standard from 1714 to 1801, impaled with the arms of her father, Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
	Queen Caroline Consort ofGeorge II (1727–1737)	The Royal Standard from 1714 to 1801, impaled with the arms of her father,John Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

• 
  Queen Camilla's banner flies onHMS Astute in 2025

Standard	Member of the royal family	Description
	Prince William, Duke of Cambridge	A three-point label, signifying a direct heir to the throne, the second point charged with a red escallop taken from the arms of his mother,Diana, Princess of Wales.
		Scottish variant
	Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh	A three-point label, the first and third points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second point charged with a Tudor rose.
	Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon	A three-point label, the first and third points charged with a Tudor Rose, the second point charged with a Scottish thistle.
		Scottish variant[citation needed]
	Philip, Duke of Edinburgh	The Royal Standard, impaled with the arms of his wife,Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
	Prince Albert, Duke of York	A three-point label, the second point charged with a blue anchor
	Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood	A three-point label, the first, second and third points charged with the Cross of St. George.
	Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester	A three-point label, the first and third points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second point charged with a lion passant guardant.
	Prince George, Duke of Kent	A three-point label, the first, second and third points charged with a blue anchor.
	Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone	A five-point label, the first, second, fourth and fifth points charged with a red heart, the third point charged with the Cross of St. George.
	Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor	A three-point label, the second point charged with the Crown of Saint Edward.
	Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn	A three-point label, the first and third points charged with fleurs-de-lis, the second point charged with the Cross of St. George. Superimposed is the coat of arms of theRoyal House of Saxony.
		A three-point label, the first and third points charged with fleurs-de-lis, the second point charged with the Cross of St. George.
	Prince Arthur of Connaught	A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second and fourth points charged with fleurs-de-lis. Superimposed is the coat of arms of theRoyal House of Saxony.
		A five-point label, the first, third and fifth points charged with the Cross of St. George, the second and fourth points charged with fleurs-de-lis.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1198–1340	Royal Banner of KingRichard I	Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure,[14][15] meaning three goldlions with blue tongues and claws, walking and facing the observer, arranged in a column on a red background. It forms the first and fourth quarters of the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom.
	1340–1395 1399 – 1406	Royal Banner of KingEdward III	TheCoat of Arms of England quartered with the Royal Standard of France, thefleurs-de-lis representing the English claim to the French throne.
	1395–1399	Royal Banner of KingRichard II	The Coat of Arms of England impaled with attributed Arms of King Edward The Confessor (symbolising mystical union).
	1406–1422 1461 – 1470 1471 – 1554 1558 – 1603	Royal Banner of KingHenry IV, KingHenry V, KingEdward IV,King Richard III, KingHenry VII, KingHenry VIII and QueenElizabeth I	The French quartering has been altered to three fleurs-de-lis.
	1422–1461 1470 – 1471	Royal Banner of KingHenry VI	The Coat of Arms of France impaled with the Coat of Arms of England.
	1554–1558	Royal Banner of QueenMary I and KingPhilip	The Coat of Arms ofHabsburg Spain impaled with the Coat of Arms of England.
	1603 – 1689 1702 – 1707	Royal Standard of theHouse of Stuart, used first byJames VI and I	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of James VI and I, first and fourth quarters representing England and the English claim to the French throne, second quarter representingScotland, third quarter representingIreland. This was the last royal banner of the Kingdom of England.
	1689–1694	Royal Standard of KingWilliam III and II and QueenMary II	A banner of the joint Royal Coat of Arms of William III and Mary II, consisting of the Coat of Arms of England defaced with an inescutcheon for theHouse of Nassau (representing William) and impaled with another undefaced version of the same Coat of Arms (representing Mary).
	1694–1702	Royal Standard of King William III and II	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of William III, first and fourth quarters representing England and the English claim to the French throne, second quarter representing Scotland, third quarter representing Ireland, with an inescutcheon for the House of Nassau.
	1707–1714	Royal Standard of QueenAnne, after theActs of Union 1707	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Anne, first and fourth quarters representing (newly unified) England and Scotland, second quarter representing the British claim to the French throne, third quarter representing Ireland.
	1714–1801	Royal Standard of theHouse of Hanover, first used by KingGeorge I	A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of Great Britain, first quarter representing England and Scotland, second quarter representing the British claim to the French throne, third quarter representing Ireland, fourth quarter representing theElectorate of Hanover.
	1801–1816	Royal Standard of the House of Hanover, used by KingGeorge III	A banner of the Royal Arms from the creation of the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801; first and fourth quarters for England and Wales, second Scotland, third Ireland, with aninescutcheon for theElectorate of Hanover.
	1816–1837	Royal Standard of the House of Hanover, first used by King George III	The Royal Arms after Hanover had become a kingdom. Theducal hat is replaced with a crown.

• 
  1803 illustration of soldier with royal standard, showing the design used underGeorge III from 1801 to 1816
• 
  Royal standard from theRoyal Museums Greenwich with the 1816–37 design

Other members of the royal family may use the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom, but within anermine border (a white border with black "tails" 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,Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, andKatharine, Duchess of Kent had this standard draped over their coffins at their funerals.^[16][17]

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also enjoyed the right to use this version of the Royal Standard although she rarely exercised it on her own. She received a grant of arms on 17 July 2005, which, based on past practice, could form the basis for her own standard.^[18] Since the ascension of her husband Charles III, as queen consort she has used a new version, based on her husband'sroyal standard, impaled with the arms of her father, Major Bruce Shand.^[19]

• 
  Royal Standard for other members of the Royal Family who do not have a personal standard.
• 
  Royal Standard for other members of the Royal Family who do not have a personal standard, Scottish variant.
• 
  Funeral carriage ofDiana, Princess of Wales, with the coffin draped with an ermine-bordered standard.^[20]

The Royal Standard is reserved only for the monarch. Most famously it signals thepresence of the monarch at a royal residence, and is also used on official vehicles, primarily theBentley State Limousine, but also on other road vehicles at home or abroad, often a Land RoverRange Rover.

The Royal Standard is also flown fromaircraft andwater vessels, includingHMYBritannia andMVSpirit of Chartwell^[21] during theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. When the monarch is aboard a British naval ship, the flag is flown from themain mast of the ship and is lowered upon his/her departure.^[22] The flag is also draped over the coffin of the Monarch upon his/her death.

WhenEdward VII acceded to the throne in 1901, he proposed that a special version of the Royal Standard (which was widely used at the time) be created for his own specific use; "a Royal Standard differenced with an oval shield in the centre carrying HM's cypher and crown on a purple ground, for the King's exclusive and personal use alone... The cypher to be changed to that of the new sovereign on the demise of the previous sovereign." However, such a proposal was considered impractical, given that the use of this alternate Standard by the King would effectively make it the new Royal Standard (despite the retention of the main version), and thus such a change would have required legislation. It was instead decided that new rules for the Royal Standard be laid down, making it so that it should not be flown anywhere other than on a royal palace, or to denote the monarch's presence.^[23]

In some situations, personal standards are displayed within the UK, such as withinSt Giles' Cathedral,Edinburgh (site of the Chapel of theOrder of the Thistle), andSt George's Chapel, Windsor Castle home of Banners of Knights of theOrder of the Garter,^[24][25][26] at theThames Diamond Jubilee Pageant Prince Andrew's standard flew fromMVHavengore.^[27] However, the use of personal standards of other members of the royal family varies in frequency. Prior to his accession, the then-Prince of Wales flew his standard atClarence House in the same way the Royal Standard is used over Buckingham Palace, but other members of the family tend not to fly theirs from their respective residences (though this may be due to the fact that many share official LondonResidences, as is the case atKensington Palace).

Family members also do not use their standards on road vehicles, either privately or during official engagements (when more discreet cars are used, such asJaguar) or state occasions (when the Liveried cars of theRoyal Mews are used), this seems reserved for the Queen only, although whenPrince Philip traveled alone at state occasions, his standard flew from the roof of his car, as seen with the funerals ofDiana, Princess of Wales (when the Queen Mother also flew her personal standard from her car) and that ofQueen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, also, when a visiting Head of State on a state visit uses a car from the Royal Mews, his/her own flag is displayed.^[28][29] That said, when abroad, the standards of members of the family may well be flown: examples include Prince Charles,^[30][31] the Duchess of Cornwall^[32] and Prince William.^[33][34]

Personal Standards have been used to cover the coffins ofthe Queen Mother, thePrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,Princess Margaret^[35][36] and theDuke of Windsor.

According to theFlag Institute, the basic order of precedence for flags in the United Kingdom is – the Royal Standard, theUnion Flag, the flag of thecountry,dependency orOverseas Territory of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, etc.), other country, dependency or overseas territory flags of the United Kingdom, flags of other nations (in Englishalphabetical order), theCommonwealth flag, theflag of Europe,county flags, flags of cities and towns, banners of arms (personal and corporate), and house flags.^[37]

• Order of the Garter § Chapel
• Flags of the English Interregnum
• Flags of Elizabeth II
• Royal flags of Canada
• Heraldic flag

• Davies, Norman (1999).The Isles: A History. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Royal Standard – Royal Household website
• The Royal Standard – Flag Institute

• Elizabeth II flags
• Charles III flags
• Personal flags of the United Kingdom
• Monarchy of the United Kingdom
• Standards (flags)
• Flags displaying animals

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