The Royal Standard Signals the Monarch’s Presence

by Marco Flores, age: 11

The Royal Standard flag is used in the UK to let others know that a king or queen is present. The Royal Standard has four quarters.

The top left and bottom right depict three golden lions passant guardant, which is the Royal Banner of England. The top right quarter shows a red rampant lion on a yellow background, which is the Royal Banner of Scotland. The last quarter shows a golden harp on blue, which is the Royal Banner of Ireland.

The Royal Standard is usually placed on the top of castles, Buckingham Palace, other royal residences, or on the vehicle of a king or queen. In the UK, the Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast when a monarch dies, unlike in the US, where the national flag is flown at half-mast to honor a deceased president.

The Royal Standard is only raised when the king or queen is present. If they are not present, the flag is replaced with the Union Jack, which is the modern national flag of the UK. Today, the Royal Standard is flown when King Charles III is in residence as the new monarch of the UK.

[Source: The Royal Family]