Wikipedia:

List of British flags


British Flags
border
List of English flags
List of Northern Irish flags
List of Scottish flags
List of Welsh flags

This is a list of flags that have either been in use, or are currently used by, the United Kingdom and related territories.

Current national flags

England, Scotland and Wales

National and subnational flags of the United Kingdom [1]

Flag Date Use Description Status
border 1801 Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, used as the Flag of the United Kingdom A superimposition of the Flags of England and Scotland with Saint Patrick's saltire (representing Ireland) National flag used by government
border c900 Flag of Scotland, also known as the St Andrew's Cross, or the Saltire A white saltire on a blue field National flag used by Scottish Parliament and agencies
border c1300 Flag of England, also known as the St George's Cross A red cross on a white field Defacto national flag used, until devolution, mainly by the Church of England
border 1959 Flag of Wales, also known as the Red Dragon or Y Ddraig Goch A red passant dragon on a green and white field De facto national flag used by Welsh Assembly and agencies

Northern Ireland

Flag Date Use Description Status


border		 Northern Ireland does not currently have a de jure National flag[2] other than the Union Flag - the former Government of Northern Ireland banner, the Ulster Banner, is still in use by international sporting organisations, (eg FIFA [3], UEFA [4], and the Commonwealth Games [5]) and can be seen in the Historical flags section. A red cross on a white field with a red hand, on a six pointed white star, crowned (representing the six counties in Northern Ireland). The Ulster Banner ceased to officially exist with the passing of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 which dissolved the Parliament of Northern Ireland, Not recognised by the British government or the Northern Ireland Assembly

Ensigns

Flag Date Use Description
border 1801 - Blue Ensign, used by some organisations or territories associated with the UK A blue field, with a Union Flag in the canton
border 1801 - Red Ensign, used by the Merchant Navy A red field, with a Union Flag in the canton
border 1801 - White Ensign, used by ships bearing the prefix HMS, and the Royal Yacht Squadron A red cross on a white field with the Union Flag in the canton
border 1931 - Civil Air Ensign, used by civilian aircraft A blue and white cross on a light blue field with the Union Flag in the canton
border 1921 - Royal Air Force Ensign A RAF light blue field with the Royal Air Force roundel in the fly with a Union Flag in the canton
border Civil Jack A Union Flag with a white border

Royal standards

Queen Elizabeth II

Flag Date Use Description
border 1837 The Royal Standard, as used in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A banner of the Queen's Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
border c.1930 The Royal Standard, as used in Scotland A banner of the Queen's Arms, the Royal Arms in Scotland
border 1952 Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II, used by the Queen in her capacity as Head of the Commonwealth A crowned letter 'E' in gold, surrounded by a garland of gold roses on a blue background
border 1323 Royal Standard of Scotland A lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory on a yellow field.

Standards of the Prince of Wales

Flag Date Use Description
border Standard of the Prince of Wales, used in England and Northern Ireland A banner of the Coat of Arms of the Prince of Wales, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with an inescutcheon bearing the Royal Arms of Wales.
border Standard of the Prince of Wales as Duke of Cornwall 15 golden circles on a black field
border Standard of the Prince of Wales as Duke of Rothesay Banner of the Duke's Arms, 1st and 4th quarters representing the title of Great Steward of Scotland, the 2nd and 3rd quarters representing the title of Lord of the Isles. In the centre is an inescutcheon, of the arms of the heir apparent to the King of Scots
border 1962 - Standard of the Prince of Wales, used in Wales A banner of the Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales, with the Prince of Wales's crown in the centre

Other members of the Royal Family

Flag Date Use Description
border 1948 Standard of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh A banner of the Coat of Arms of the Duke of Edinburgh, 1st quarter representing Denmark, 2nd quarter Greece, 3rd quarter the Mountbatten family, 4th quarter Edinburgh
2000 Standard of HRH Prince William of Wales Banner of the Prince's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a three point label, the centre label bearing an Escallop in reference to the arms of Diana, Princess of Wales
border 2002 Standard of HRH Prince Henry of Wales Banner of the Prince's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first, centre and fifth labels bearing an Escallop in reference to the arms of Diana, Princess of Wales
border 1978 Standard of HRH The Duke of York Banner of the Duke's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a three point label, the centre label bearing a blue anchor
border Standard of HRH The Earl of Wessex Banner of the Earl's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a three point label, the centre label bearing a Tudor Rose
border Standard of HRH The Princess Royal Banner of the Princess's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a three point label, the first and third labels bearing a red cross, the centre label bearing a red heart.
border Standard of HRH The Duke of Gloucester Banner of the Duke's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a red cross, the second and fourth labels bearing a red lion.
border Standard of HRH The Duke of Kent Banner of the Duke's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a blue anchor, the second and fourth labels bearing a red cross.
border Standard of HRH Prince Michael of Kent Banner of the Prince's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first, third and fifth labels bearing a red cross, the second and fourth labels bearing a blue anchor.
border Standard of HRH Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy Banner of the Princess's Coat of Arms, the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first and fifth labels bearing a red heart, the third label bearing a red cross, the second and fourth labels bearing a blue anchor.

Others

Flag Date Use Description
border Flag used by the Lord-Lieutenants, the sovereign's representative in the counties of the United Kingdom (Except in Scotland where Royal Standard of Scotland used) The Union Flag, defaced with a sword, crowned.
border Standard of the Duchy of Lancaster The Royal Standard of England, with a three point label, each containing three fleurs-de-lis
border Standard of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports A banner of the Lord's coat of arms featuring three Lions passant guardant con-joined to these hulls, all in gold

Military flags and ex-services flags

Flag Date Use Description
border Ensign of the Royal Navy The White Ensign
border Non Ceremonial Flag of the British Army A red field defaced with the badge of the British Army.
border 1921 Ensign of the Royal Air Force A light blue ensign defaced with the Royal Air Force roundel
border 1956 - Joint Services Flag A dark blue, red and light blue tricolour defaced with the Joint Service badge.
border Ensign of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary A blue ensign defaced with a yellow anchor
Flag of the Royal British Legion A blue ensign with a yellow band across the middle with the words British Legion and the name of the branch
border Flag of the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom A fouled anchor on a crimson background

Government

Flag Date Use Description
border Ensign of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise A Blue Ensign defaced with the badge of HM Customs and Excise
Ensign of Her Majesty's Coastguard A blue ensign defaced with the badge of HM Coastguard
border Ensign of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency A blue ensign defaced with the badge of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
border Ensign of the Commissioners of the Northern Lights A blue ensign defaced with a lighthouse
border Northern Lighthouse Board Commissioners Flag A White Ensign with a pre-1801 Union Flag in the canton, defaced with a blue lighthouse in the fly, is the only British flag to still use the pre-1801 Union Flag.[6] This flag is only flown from vessels with the Commissioners aboard.
Flag of the Metropolitan Police The Badge of the Metropolitan Police on a blue background, with white squares at the edge

Church

Flag Date Use Description
border Flag of the Church of Scotland The flag of Scotland with the burning bush in the centre
Flag of Westminster Abbey Tudor arms between Tudor roses, above Edward the Confessor's arms
border Flag of the Church in Wales
border 1878 Standard of the Salvation Army

Diplomatic flags

Flag Date Use Description
border Flag used on British Embassies (High Commissions fly the Union Flag) A Union Flag defaced with the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
border Flag used on British consulates A Union Jack defaced with the Royal Crown
Flag used onboard British consular vessels A blue ensign with the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom

Channel Islands (Crown Dependencies and Appanage)

Flag Date Use Description
border 1993 - Flag of Alderney A red cross on a white field with an inescutcheon of the island's coat of arms
border 1985 - Flag of Guernsey A golden cross within a red cross on a white field
border Flag of Herm A red cross on a white field with the coat of arms of the island in the canton
border 1981 - Flag of Jersey A red saltire on a white field defaced with the island's badge
border Flag of Sark A red cross on a white field with two lions in the canton. Strictly speaking, this is the personal flag of the Seigneur.

Isle of Man (Crown Dependency)

Flag Date Use Description
border 1226 - Flag of the Isle of Man A triskelion on a red field

Overseas territories

In 1999, the maritime flags of the British Overseas Territories were updated at the request of the Ministry of Defence. The white discs were removed from the field of the flags and each respective coat of arms was increased in size for ease of identification. As the MOD only had authority over sea flags, the Governments of the Overseas Territories were free to continue using the flags with white discs on land. The Overseas Territories' governments did switch to the updated flags over a staggered period of time, however some old-style flags with white discs may still be seen.

Flag Date Use Description
border Flag used in Akrotiri and Dhekelia and Ascension Island The Union Flag is used as no territory flag exists
border 1990 - Flag of Anguilla A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Anguilla
border 1910 - Flag of Bermuda A red ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Bermuda
border 1963 - Flag of the British Antarctic Territory A white ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of the British Antarctic Territory
border 1990- Flag of the British Indian Ocean Territory A blue ensign with white wavy lines, defaced with the Coat of Arms of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
border 1960 - Flag of British Virgin Islands A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of the British Virgin Islands
border 1999 - Flag of Cayman Islands A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Cayman Islands
border 1999 - Flag of Falkland Islands A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Falkland Islands
border 1982 - Flag of Gibraltar Two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the centre of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centred in the red band
border 1909 - Flag of Montserrat A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Montserrat
border 1984 - Flag of Pitcairn Island A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Pitcairn Island
border 1984 - Flag of Saint Helena A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Saint Helena
border 1985 - Flag of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
border 2002 - Flag of Tristan da Cunha, a dependancy of Saint Helena A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of Tristan da Cunha.
border 1968 - Flag of Turks and Caicos Islands A blue ensign defaced with the Coat of Arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Governors' flags

Prior to 1999, all Governors' flags had smaller discs and the outer green garland without the gold ring. Therefore the dates given do not reflect this minor, consistent change.

Flag Date Use Description
border 1990- Personal flag of the Governor of Anguilla A Union Flag defaced with the Coat of arms of Anguilla
border Personal flag of the Governor of Bermuda A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Bermuda
border 1962- Personal flag of the Commissioner of the British Antarctic Territory A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the British Antarctic Territory
border 1990- Flag of the Commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory A design based on the Blue Ensign with a Union Jack in the union and wavy white lines going horiontally along the field, defaced with the Coat of arms of the British Indian Ocean Territory. This flag is also used as the de facto flag of the Territory.
border 1971- Personal flag of the Governor of the British Virgin Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the British Virgin Islands
border 1971- Personal flag of the Governor of the Cayman Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the Cayman Islands
border 1948- Personal flag of the Governor of the Falkland Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the Falkland Islands
border  ? - Personal flag of the Governor of Gibraltar A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Gibraltar
border  ? Personal flag of the Governor of Montserrat A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Montserrat
border  ? Personal flag of the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the Pitcairn Islands
border  ? Personal flag of the Governor of Saint Helena (including dependencies) A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Saint Helena
border 1999- Personal flag of the Commissioner for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
border 2002- Personal flag of the Administrator of Tristan da Cunha A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Tristan da Cunha. The Administrator is subserviant to the Governor of Saint Helena
border  ? - Personal flag of the Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Regions

Flag Date Use Description
border Flag of Bedfordshire Red and gold quarters split horizontally by blue and white waves and vertically with a black band containing three white shells.

The red and gold quarters are from the arms of the Beauchamps, the leading family in the county after the Norman Conquest. The waves signify the River Ouse, and the shells are from the arms of the Russell Family, commemorating their services to the state and to the county.
Flag of Buckinghamshire black and red vertical stripes with a white swan
border 12th century Saint Piran's Flag, the Flag of Cornwall A white cross on a black field
border 2006- Flag of Derbyshire (unofficial) A green cross with a white border on a sky blue field, with a gold Tudor rose in the centre.
border 2003 Flag of Devon , St Petrock's flag A white cross with a black border on a green field.
border Flag of the city of Durham. A red cross cross outlined in white on a black field.
border Flag of Essex
border Flag of Hampshire
border Flag of Kent A red field with a white horse in the centre.
border 2005- Flag of Lincolnshire (unofficial) A red cross with yellow trimming on a blue and green field, and a yellow fleur de lys in the middle of the cross.
border Flag of the City of London A red cross on a white field, with a red sword in the canton
border Flag of Mercia A gold saltire on a blue field (Cross of St Alban); the traditional flag of the Kingdom of Mercia, still flown on Tamworth Castle.
border 7th century (modern form 1951 Flag of Northumbria Eight yellow rectangles on a red field, note that the canton (top corner nearest the flagpole) should be gold.
border 2007- Flag of Orkney A blue Nordic cross outlined in yellow on a red field
border 1969- Flag of Shetland A white Nordic cross on a light blue field
Flag of Wessex A gold wyvern on a red field.
border 1938 Flag of the Isle of Wight detail taken from the shield in island's Arms
border Flag of Yorkshire A White Rose on a dark blue field.

Countries, States etc

See Here for international flags featuring the Union Jack (Eg. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tuvalu, British Columbia, Ontario and Hawaii)

Others

Flag Date Use Description
border Unofficial Cornish ensign
Flag of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution A red cross with a blue border on a white field, with the letters RNLI in red in each quarter, defaced with a crowned anchor
border 2002 - Flag of the Commonwealth Games Federation
Flag of the St John Ambulance Brigade
border Flag of Saint David A gold cross on a black field

Historical flags

National flags and ensigns

Flag Date Use Description
border 1953 - 1972 The Ulster Banner - Former Government of Northern Ireland between (1953-1972) and still used to represent Northern Ireland in sporting events in which Northern Ireland competes and by many as a de facto banner A red cross on a white field defaced with a red hand, crowned on a six pointed white star (representing the six counties in Northern Ireland).
border 1606 - 1801 Flag of the Kingdom of Great Britain (From 1707) First version of the Union Flag used in England from 1606 and Scotland from 1707 - the Flags of England and Scotland superimposed.
border 1606 - 1707 Scottish Union Flag The alternative Union Flag as often used in Scotland prior to 1707.
border 1783 - 1922 Saint Patrick's saltire, the symbol of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick, the British order of chivalry associated with Ireland. A red saltire on a white field. Used to represent Ireland in the Union Flag and unofficially to represent Ireland from the Act of Union to the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
border 1620 - 1707 English Red Ensign The Red Ensign of the English Royal Navy
border 1620 - 1707 English White Ensign The White Ensign of the English Royal Navy
border 1620 - 1707 English Blue Ensign The Blue Ensign of the English Royal Navy
border - 1707 Scottish Red Ensign, used by the Royal Scottish Navy A red ensign with the Flag of Scotland in the canton
border 1707 - 1801 Red Ensign of Great Britain The Red Ensign with the first version of the Union Flag
border 1707 - 1801 White Ensign of Great Britain The White Ensign with the first version of the Union Flag
border 1707 - 1801 Blue Ensign of Great Britain The Blue Ensign with the first version of the Union Flag
border 1649 - 1651 Flag of the Commonwealth of England St. George's Cross and an Irish Harp juxtaposed.
border 1651 - 1658 Flag of the Commonwealth of England St. George's Cross and St.Andrew's cross quartered.
border 1658 - 1660 Flag of The Protectorate The 1606 Union Jack defaced with an Irish Harp.

Overseas territories

Flag Date Use Description
border 1870 - 1873 Flag of Hong Kong
border (1910–1941; 1945–1959) Flag of Hong Kong
border (1959-1997) Flag of Hong Kong

Royal standards

Flag Date Use Description
Tudor_arms123.jpg 1406 - 1603 Royal Standard of England, used first by King Henry IV The Coat of Arms of England quartered with the Royal Standard of France, the Fleur-de-lis representing the English claim to the French throne.
border 1814 - 1837 Royal Standard of the House of Hanover from 1814 to 1837 A banner of the Royal Coat of Arms of King George III, first and fourth quarters 3 lions representing England, 2nd quarter representing Scotland, third quarter representing Ireland, with an inescutcheon for Hanover
1936 - 2002 Standard of Queen Elizabeth, consort of King George VI The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom impaled with the Arms of the Earl of Strathmore
1910 - 1953 Standard of Queen Mary, consort of King George V The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom impaled with the Arms of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck (the Queen's father) and Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (the Queen's maternal grandfather)
border 1901 - 1928 Standard of Queen Alexandra, consort of King Edward VII The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom impaled with the Arms of the King of Denmark.
border Standard of Princess Alice of Albany The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a five point label, the first, second, fourth and fifth labels bearing a red heart, the third label bearing a red cross

Governor's flags

Flag Date Use Description
border 1959-1997 Flag flown on Government House, Hong Kong and the Governor's official car during British rule A Union Flag defaced with the then Coat of arms of Hong Kong
border 1855-1947 Flag used by the British Govenors General, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, Chief Commissioners and other British officers in India A Union Jack defaced with the Star of India surmounted by a Crown.
border  ? - Personal flag of the Governor of Northern Ireland A Union Jack defaced with the Coat of arms of Northern Ireland

Other

Flag Date Use Description
border 1600 - 1858 Flag of the English/British East India Company 4 white and 5 red stripes with the St George's Cross in the canton.
border 1707 - 1858 Flag of the British East India Company 6 white and 7 red stripes with the Union Flag of Great Britain in the canton. Accepted to be the inspiration for the Grand Union Flag that eventually evolved into the Flag of the United States.
border 1801 - 1858 Flag of the British East India Company 6 white and 7 red stripes with the Union Flag of the United Kingdom in the canton.
border 1801 - 1922 Flag of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Union Flag defaced with the Coat of Arms of Ireland
border circa 1701 Green Ensign
border post 1800 Green Ensign An unofficial merchant navy flag consisting of green field with golden harp and the Union Flag in the canton, no record of its actual use.

See also

References

  1. ^ Flags.net- United Kingdom subnational flags
  2. ^ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/ldhansrd/text/70118w0002.htm
  3. ^ FIFA- Northern Ireland
  4. ^ UEFA- Northern Ireland
  5. ^ Commonwealth Games- Northern Ireland
  6. ^ www.fotw.net/flags/gb-lthse.html#cnlc Flags of the World, Northern Lighthouse Commissioner's Flag

External links

Flags of the United Kingdom
UK Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Flag of the United Kingdom (Union Flag)
Home Nations Flag_of_England.svg England • Flag_of_Wales.svg Wales • border Scotland
Historical border Northern Ireland (1953-1972)
Royal Royal_Standard_of_England.svg Royal Standard • border Royal Standard for use in Scotland • border Royal Standard of Scotland
Ensigns Government_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Blue Ensign • Civil_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Red Ensign • Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg White Ensign • Ensign_of_the_Royal_Air_Force.svg Royal Air Force Ensign • Civil_Air_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg Civil Air Ensign
List of flags of British overseas territories and crown dependencies
Overseas territories Anguilla • Bermuda • British Antarctic Territory • British Indian Ocean Territory • British Virgin Islands • Cayman Islands • Falkland Islands • Gibraltar • Montserrat • Pitcairn Islands • Saint Helena • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands • Tristan da Cunha • Turks and Caicos Islands List of flags of British overseas territories and crown dependencies
Crown dependencies Guernsey (Alderney) •