Royal standards of Canada

The royal standards of Canada are a set of uniquely Canadian personal flags used by members of the Canadian royal family. They are used to denote the presence of the bearer within any car, ship, airplane, building, or area, within Canada or when representing Canada abroad. The current flag for the Canadian monarch was unveiled on 6 May 2023, the day of King Charles III's coronation.

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

There are five other personal royal standards, one each for the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as one standard for use more generally to denote the presence of any member of the royal family who has not previously been provided with a specific personal standard. The flags are part of a larger collection of Canadian royal symbols.[1]

Current standards

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

The royal standard, also known as the Sovereign's Flag for Canada, is a heraldic banner created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 2023 for the use of the sovereign, presently King Charles III, in his capacity as King of Canada[2] and it was added to the CHA's Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges on Charles' coronation day, 6 May 2023, having been granted approval by the King.[2] Different standards are used by King Charles in some other Commonwealth realms.

The flag, in a 1:2 proportion, consists of the escutcheon of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada in banner form, undifferenced. This departs from its predecessor by removing the personal cypher of Queen Elizabeth II after the end of her reign, as the Canadian coat of arms, also called the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, are the arms of the monarch and, so, no further identifying mark is required. The present version of the banner will therefore be used by all future kings and queens of Canada.[2]

The standard is protected under the Trade-marks Act; section 9(a) states: "No person shall adopt in connection with a business, as a trade-mark or otherwise, any mark consisting of, or so nearly resembling as to be likely to be mistaken for... the Royal Arms, Crest or Standard."[3] The symbols on the flag represent the nations that created Canada, which are England (Royal Arms of England), Scotland (Royal Banner of Scotland), Ireland (coat of arms of Ireland) and France (a symbol of Early modern France), alongside the national symbol (maple leaf).

Other members of the royal family

There are currently five variants of the sovereign's royal standard, each of which were approved by Queen Elizabeth II by letters patent for a specific member of Canada's royal family: Prince William, Prince of Wales; Princess Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh. The sixth variant is used by any other member of the royal family who has not been presented by the Crown with a personal Canadian standard.[4]

The escutcheon of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada, the basis for the royal standards of Canada
The royal cypher of Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth, used on the first Canadian royal standard in 1962

All were created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority, the first two that came after Queen Elizabeth II's being the banners for then-Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Prince William, then-Duke of Cambridge. These were developed over a three-month period and revealed 29 June 2011,[5] just prior to that year's royal tour by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge;[6] The ermine bordered royal standard was registered 15 January 2015 for use by members of the royal family who do not have a personal standard for use in Canada. While other Commonwealth realms have created their own banners to identify their monarch, Canada is the only country, apart from the United Kingdom, to extend this concept to other members of the royal family.[7]

William's flag at the time was first flown from the cockpit window of the Canadian Forces airplane that carried he and his wife to Canada in 2011, as it taxied after landing at Ottawa.[8] Prince Charles' flag was first unfurled 20 May 2012, at CFB Gagetown, from the cockpit window of the taxiing Royal Canadian Air Force airplane that brought he and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to Canada for royal tour marking the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[9] The Princess Royal's banner was first used during her October 2013 visits to CFB Borden and CFB Kingston. Prince Edward's standard was first used during his visit to British Columbia's Government House, at the start of a royal tour by he and his wife, on 12 September 2014.

All variants are in a 1:2 proportion. The personal standards consist of the escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Canada defaced with both a blue roundel surrounded by a wreath and a white label of three points. The wreath on Prince William's banner is of 24 gold maple leaves, the roundel depicts the Prince of Wales' feathers, and the label is not charged, signifying the eldest son of the monarch. The remainder of the personal banners have wreaths of 24 gold maple leaves only and in the centre of the roundel is the flag bearer's cypher: the initial of their Christian name surmounted by a coronet of the child of the monarch, which was the rank the bearers held when granted the standards. On the royal standard of the Princess Royal, the label is charged with a red heart at centre and the other two with red crosses, taken from the Princess' coat of arms;[10] the centre label on the royal standard of the Duke of York is charged with a blue anchor, taken from the Prince's coat of arms; and the Duke of Edinburgh's standard has within the centre label a Tudor Rose.

  • The Prince of Wales
    The Prince of Wales[11]
  • Princess Anne, Princess Royal
    Princess Anne, Princess Royal[12]
  • Prince Andrew, Duke of York
    Prince Andrew, Duke of York[13]
  • Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
    Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh[14]
  • Other members of the royal family
    Other members of the royal family[15]

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".[16] 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.[7]

Former standards

The former royal standard,[3] also called the Queen's Personal Canadian Flag,[17] was a heraldic banner[18] adopted and proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1962 for her use in her capacity as Queen of Canada. With its introduction, red and white, first proclaimed by George V in 1921, became entrenched as the national colours of Canada,[19] and it was added to the Canadian Heraldic Authority's Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges on 15 March 2005.[18] Different standards were used by Elizabeth in some of the other Commonwealth realms, and she held another banner for use as head of the Commonwealth.

The flag, in a 1:2 proportion, consists of the escutcheon of the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada in banner form defaced with the distinct device of Queen Elizabeth II used on her Head of the Commonwealth flag:[17] a blue roundel with the initial E surmounted by St Edward's Crown and within a wreath of roses, all gold-coloured.[18]

Before he was made Prince of Wales in 2022, William's flag had a wreath of each 12 gold maple leaves and scallop shells, the roundel bore a depiction of his cypher (a W surmounted by a coronet of his rank), and the label was charged with a red shell, reminiscent of the coat of arms of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.[20]

  • 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.[21] 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[22] until lowered directly after the King's departure from any building, ship, aircraft (not in the air), or other space or vehicle,[23][24] 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.[22][23]

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.[23]

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.[21] 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.[21] 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;[25] permission to do so was granted by the Queen.[26]

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Queen Elizabeth II's personal Canadian standard flies from the main flagpole to mark her presence at the Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, 6 July 2010

When Police Service Horse Burmese was presented to Queen Elizabeth II by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on 28 April 1969, Her Majesty 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.[27]

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,[28][29] while the banner of the Canadian coat of arms, as devised in 1921, was used in 1937 and 1953.[30] 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: Micromedia ProQuest. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-895021-90-5.
  2. Office of the Governor General of Canada, Royal Emblems, Queen's Printer for Canada, retrieved 9 May 2023
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "A personal flag for HRH The Princess Royal will be brought into use today, October 22, 2013, the beginning of a private visit to Canada..." Retrieved 10 September 2022 – via Facebook.
  11. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Prince of Wales". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  12. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Princess Anne, Princess Royal". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "Members of the Royal Family". Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  16. 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
  17. Department of Canadian Heritage (13 December 2013). "Ceremonial and Canadian Symbols Promotion > The crown in Canada > The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  18. 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.
  19. Tidridge, Nathan (2011). Thompson, Allister (ed.). Canada's Constitutional Monarchy. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 222. ISBN 9781554889808.
  20. 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.
  21. Nova Scotia, The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag, Government of Nova Scotia, retrieved 13 April 2023
  22. Government of Canada, "The Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces", The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag, King's Printer for Canada, retrieved 13 April 2023
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. "Manitoba Celebrating Queen's Diamond Jubilee". 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  26. "Canada Kicks off Festivities for Queen's Jubilee". CTV. 6 February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  27. "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.
  28. "Coronation Standards". The Northern Star. 15 May 1911. p. 5. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020 – via Trove.
  29. "Coronation of George V: Standard Bearers". Royal Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  30. "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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