Royal standards of Canada

The Canadian flags of the royal family are a set of personal flags used by members of the Canadian royal family to denote the presence of the bearer within any vehicle, building, or area within Canada or when representing Canada abroad. There are six flags, which are all based on a banner of the coat of arms of Canada.

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The Sovereign's Flag for Canada (also known as the royal standard and the banner of arms) flying at Government House in Halifax, Nova Scotia, following King Charles III's coronation

The flag of the monarch of Canada, currently Charles III, consists simply of the coat of arms in flag form. There are four other personal flags, which belong to William, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. They are differentiated from the monarch's flag by heraldic labels and roundels; the Prince of Wales's Feathers are within his roundel, and the other three contain the initial of the bearer's first name. The sixth flag has an ermine border and is used by members of the royal family who do not have a personal flag.

The first standard was created for Queen Elizabeth II in 1962. The current flag for the Canadian monarch was unveiled on 6 May 2023, the day of King Charles III's coronation. The flags are part of a larger collection of Canadian royal symbols.[1]

Current flags

The sovereign
See also: Flags of Charles III
The Sovereign's Flag for Canada (currently used by Charles III, King of Canada)

The sovereign's personal Canadian flag is a banner of arms of the coat of arms of Canada, that is the coat of arms in flag form. The flag has a 1:2 proportion and consists of the escutcheon of the coat of arms, namely the quartered arms of the kingdoms of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France above three maple leaves on a silver background. The official blazon is:[2]

Tierced in fess the first and second divisions containing the quarterly coat following, namely, 1st, gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or, 2nd, Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counter-flory gules, 3rd, azure a harp Or stringed argent, 4th, azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or, and the third division argent three maple leaves conjoined on one stem proper.

The flag was created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 2023 for Charles III in his capacity as King of Canada, and was unveiled on his coronation day, 6 May 2023.[3] It does not include his personal cypher, as the flag of Queen Elizabeth II did, and it is intended that the banner will be used by all future monarchs of Canada.[3] The standard is protected under the Trade-marks Act.[4]

Other members of the royal family

There are currently four variants of the sovereign's personal Canadian flag, used by William, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. A fifth variant is used by any member of the royal family who does not have a personal Canadian flag.[5]

The flags were all created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. The four personal flags follow a standard pattern, and consist of a banner of arms of the Canadian coat of arms in 1:2 proportion, differenced by a silver heraldic label, and in the centre a blue roundel (or hurt) with a border of 24 gold maple leaves. The roundel of the Prince of Wales contains the Prince of Wales's Feathers, and his label is plain.[6] The roundels of the other three personal flags contain the bearer's cypher: the initial of their first name surmounted by a coronet of the child of the monarch. Anne's label has a red heart on the centre point and red crosses on the outer points, Andrew's has a blue anchor on the centre point, and Edward's has a Tudor rose on the centre point; the labels are all taken from their personal coats of arms.[7][8][9] The flag for use by other members of the royal family consists of the banner of arms with an ermine border.[5]

  • The Prince of Wales
    The Prince of Wales[10]
  • Princess Anne, Princess Royal
    Princess Anne, Princess Royal[11]
  • Prince Andrew, Duke of York
    Prince Andrew, Duke of York[12]
  • Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
    Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh[13]
  • Other members of the royal family
    Other members of the royal family[14]

History
See also: Flags of Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II had a distinct personal Canadian flag similar in form to those still used by other members of the royal family.[4] The flag had a 1:2 proportion and consisted of the banner of arms with the Queen's personal device in the centre: a blue roundel with a border of gold roses, containing within it a capital 'E' surmounted by a crown.[15] The flag was adopted in 1962. With its introduction, red and white became entrenched as the national colours of Canada.[16] It was added to the Canadian Heraldic Authority's Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges on 15 March 2005.[15]

The next two personal flags were created for Charles, then prince of Wales, and William, then duke of Cambridge, and were revealed on 29 June 2011.[17][18] William's flag consisted of the banner of arms with, in the centre, a blue roundel with a border of 12 gold maple leaves alternating with 12 gold scallops; within this was his cypher, a 'W' surmounted by a coronet of a child of the heir apparent. The label had a red scallop on the centre point.[19] It was first flown from the Canadian Forces airplane that carried him his wife Catherine to Canada in 2011 for the start of their royal tour.[20] Charles's flag, which is now used by William as Prince of Wales, was first flown from the Royal Canadian Air Force airplane that carried him and his wife Camilla to Canada for a royal tour marking the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[21] The creation of the flags made Canada the second Commonwealth realm after the United Kingdom to adopt unique flags for members of the royal family.[22] The ermine variant was registered on 15 January 2015.

The Princess Royal's banner was first used during her October 2013 visits to CFB Borden and CFB Kingston. Prince Edward's flag was first used on 12 September 2014 during a visit to Government House, British Columbia, with his wife Sophie, as part of a royal tour.

Sean Palmer asserted in the 2018 book, The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy, that, by way of creating the uniquely Canadian standards for members of the royal family other than the monarch, Canada took "'ownership' not only of the Queen of Canada, but of the other members of her family as well" and that doing so was another formal affirmation of the concept of a Canadian royal family "as distinct as the Queen of Canada is from the Queen of the United Kingdom".[23] Jai Patel and Sally Raudon also noted the following year that the purpose of these heraldic banners was to recognize the owners' roles as members of the Canadian royal family.[22]

  • Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, 1962 to 2022
    Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, 1962 to 2022
  • Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 2011 to 2022
    Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, 2011 to 2022

Use and protocol
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Montreal, with the King's British royal standard flying from atop the royal car's windshield, May 1939
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in Ottawa, with the Queen's British royal standard flying from the front of the royal car, October 1957

Prior to the adoption of the Canadian royal standards, members of the royal family who toured Canada used the royal standard they employed when in the United Kingdom; although, for the 1860 tour undertaken in 1860 by Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII), he used the banner of his mother, Queen Victoria.[24] after 1931, each of those standards took on a dual role of representing a member of either the British or the Canadian royal family, depending on the context.

The King's personal Canadian flag is employed only when the King is in Canada or is attending an event abroad as the Canadian head of state; for example, the flag will be unfurled at Juno Beach in France when the King is present there for commemorations of the Normandy Landings. The flag must be broken immediately upon the sovereign's arrival and fly day and night[25] until lowered directly after the King's departure from any building, ship, aircraft (not in the air), or other space or vehicle,[26][27] As the monarch is the personification of the Canadian state, his banner also takes precedence above all other flags in Canada, including the national flag and those of the other members of the Canadian royal family.[25][26]

No other person may use the flag; the King's federal representative, the governor general, possesses a unique personal flag, as does each of the monarch's provincial viceroys. Flags are kept at the King's Ottawa residence, Rideau Hall, and supplied to Department of Canadian Heritage royal visit staff by the household staff prior to the King's arrival.[26]

Protocol is sometimes, though rarely, officially broken. On 9 August 1902, the day of the coronation of King Edward VII, the monarch's royal standard (then the same in Canada as in the United Kingdom) was raised on a temporary flag pole at His Majesty's Dockyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[24] Similarly, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953, the sovereign's royal standard was broken atop the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.[24] Sixty years later, on 6 February 2012, the Queen's personal standard for Canada was unfurled at Rideau Hall and Parliament Hill, as well as at other legislatures across the country to mark the monarch's diamond anniversary of her accession to the throne;[28] permission to do so was granted by the Queen.[29]

Queen Elizabeth II's personal Canadian standard flies from the flagpole on the Peace Tower, on Parliament Hill, 1 July 2010

When Police Service Horse Burmese was presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on 28 April 1969, she requested that Burmese perform in the Royal Windsor Horse Show and have the rider carry the Queen's royal standard on the lance, instead of the usual red and white pennon, thus allowing Elizabeth to easily follow Burmese's performance.[30]

Coronation standard

During the coronations of some monarchs at Westminster Abbey, the standards of various countries were carried by officials in the procession inside the abbey. These flags were the countries' coats of arms as banners of arms. Such flags for Canada were used thrice: at the coronations of King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II in 1911, 1937, and 1953, respectively. A banner quartered with the arms of the first four Canadian provinces was used in 1911,[31][32] while the banner of the Canadian coat of arms, as devised in 1921, was used in 1937 and 1953.[33] The banner was in a 3:4 ratio and without defacement.

  • Coronation standard used in 1911
    Coronation standard used in 1911
  • Coronation Standard used in 1937 and 1953
    Coronation Standard used in 1937 and 1953

See also

References
  1. Franco, Guida (2006). Canadian Almanac & Directory 2006. Toronto. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-895021-90-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. "Canada". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  3. Office of the Governor General of Canada (16 May 2023), Sovereign's Flag for Canada, King's Printer for Canada, retrieved 14 August 2023
  4. Elizabeth II (2008), Trade-marks Act, 9.1.a, Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada (published 1985), R.S., 1985, c. T-13, archived from the original on 21 September 2013, retrieved 28 October 2009
  5. Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. "Members of the Royal Family". reg.gg.ca. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  6. Heritage, Canadian (11 August 2017). "Canadian flags of the Royal Family". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  7. "The Princess Anne, Princess Royal". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  8. "The Prince Andrew, Duke of York". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  9. "The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  10. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Prince of Wales". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  11. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Princess Anne, Princess Royal". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  12. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Prince Andrew, Duke of York". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  13. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  14. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "Members of the Royal Family". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  15. Office of the Governor General of Canada: Canadian Heraldic Authority. "Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges > Registration of the Flag of Her Majesty the Queen for personal use in Canada". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  16. Tidridge, Nathan (2011). Thompson, Allister (ed.). Canada's Constitutional Monarchy. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 222. ISBN 9781554889808.
  17. Office of the Governor General of Canada (29 June 2011). "New Flags for The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  18. Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages (29 June 2011). "Harper Government Unveils New Personal Canadian Flags for Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge". Canada News Wire. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  19. Canadian Heraldic Authority (15 September 2011). "Prince William, Duke of Cambridge". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  20. Proudfoot, Shannon (30 June 2011), "The Royals Are Here: Will and Kate Start Canadian Tour", The Vancouver Sun, archived from the original on 25 October 2012, retrieved 30 June 2011
  21. Bissett, Kevin (20 May 2012). "Prince Charles, Camilla Arrive in Canada to Begin Royal Tour". CityTV. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  22. Patel, Jai; Raudon, Sally (2019), "Localising the Crown", in Shore, Chris; Williams, David V. (eds.), The Shapeshifting Crown: Locating the State in Post-Colonial New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the UK, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 210, ISBN 978-1-108-49646-9, retrieved 12 April 2023
  23. Palmer, Sean (2018), "The Path to Nationalization: How the Realms Have Made the Monarchy Their Own", in Jackson, D. Michael (ed.), The Canadian Kingdom: 150 Years of Constitutional Monarchy, Toronto: Dundurn, p. 210, ISBN 978-1-4597-4118-8, retrieved 12 April 2023
  24. Nova Scotia, The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag, Government of Nova Scotia, retrieved 13 April 2023
  25. Government of Canada (12 October 2018), "The Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces", The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag, King's Printer for Canada, retrieved 13 April 2023
  26. Department of Canadian Heritage (13 December 2013). "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > Personal Flags and Standards". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  27. Office of the Prime Minister of Canada (29 June 2011). "PM Unveils a New Personal Flag for Use in Canada for His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge" (Press release). Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  28. "Manitoba Celebrating Queen's Diamond Jubilee". 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  29. "Canada Kicks off Festivities for Queen's Jubilee". CTV. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  30. "RCMP and the Monarchy". Scarlet and Gold. RCMP Veterans Association Vancouver Division. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  31. "Coronation Standards". The Northern Star. 15 May 1911. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020 – via Trove.
  32. "Coronation of George V: Standard Bearers". Royal Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  33. "Australian Standard For Coronation". Advertiser. 23 May 1953. p. 2. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020 – via Trove.
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