Royal flags of Canada

There are several flags created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority which are currently in use by the Canadian monarch, the Prince of Wales, and other members of the Canadian royal family. Sovereign The Sovereign’s Flag for Canada (also called the Sovereign’s personal Canadian flag and the Royal Standard of Canada) is a banner of arms of the coat of arms of Canada, and is used to denote the presence of the Canadian monarch. It consists of the escutcheon or shield 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 of the arms is: The flag was created by the Canadian Heraldic Authority in 2023 for Charles III in his capacity as King of Canada. The flag was approved in April 2023, shortly after Charles' ascension, and was unveiled on his coronation day, 6 May 2023. The flag is protected under Canada's Trademarks Act. Elizabeth II, the monarch preceding Charles III, had from 1962 until her death in 2022 used a flag that incorporated the Canadian banner of arms charged with her personal badge. This flag was personal to her, whereas the sovereign's flag is designed for use by all future Canadian monarchs. The initial concept for the design was created by Claire Boudreau, the Chief Herald of Canada, with assistance from other heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and with the co-operation of Buckingham Palace officials. The flag was approved for use by Elizabeth II through letters patent dated 31 May 2011, and gazetted in the Canada Gazette on 24 March 2012. The personal flag for Princess Anne, was approved for use by Elizabeth II on 8 May 2013, and the personal flags for the former Prince Andrew and Prince Edward on 15 May 2014. The flag consists of the banner of the coat of arms of Canada surrounded by an ermine border, a design also seen on British flags of royal family members without personal flags. The initial concept for the design was done by Claire Boudreau, the Chief Herald of Canada, with assistance from other heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority. This flag was approved for use by Elizabeth II on 20 December 2014, and was gazetted in the Canada Gazette on 3 October 2015. ==Use and protocol==

As the monarch is the personification of the Canadian state, their banner takes precedence above all other flags in Canada, including the national flag and those of the other members of the Canadian royal family. until lowered directly after their departure from any building, ship, aircraft (not in the air), or other space or vehicle. The flag may only be used by the sovereign. The governor general, the monarch's representative in Canada, possesses a unique personal flag, as do each of the monarch's provincial viceroys. Flags are kept at the monarch's Ottawa residence, Rideau Hall, and supplied to Department of Canadian Heritage royal visit staff by the household staff prior to the monarch's arrival. permission to do so was granted by the Queen. When a 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 that the rider carry the Queen's royal flag on the lance, instead of the usual red and white pennon, thus allowing Elizabeth to easily follow Burmese's performance. ==History==

and Queen Elizabeth flying the British Royal Standard atop the windshield during the 1939 royal tour of Canada. Prior to the adoption of the Canadian royal flags, members of the royal family who toured Canada used the royal flag they employed when in the United Kingdom; although, for the tour undertaken in 1860 Albert, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII), he used the banner of his mother Queen Victoria. After 1931, each of those flags took on a dual role of representing a member of either the British or the Canadian royal family, depending on the context. Elizabeth II was the first Canadian monarch to use a distinct flag for her role as Queen of Canada. Adopted in 1962, it consisted of the banner of the coat of arms of Canada 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. It was added to the Canadian Heraldic Authority's Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges on 15 March 2005. However, there is debate over whether the proclamation of the coat of arms in 1921 determined Canada's national colours. 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. 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. 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 and, within this, 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. It was first flown from the Canadian Forces airplane that carried him and his wife, Catherine, to Canada in 2011. 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 in 2012. Additional personal flags were created in subsequent years, with the first use of Princess Royal's banner occurring 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 flags 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". 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. while the flag carried in for the 1937 and 1953 coronations was based on the escutcheon of the Canadian coat of arms, as devised in 1921. The coronation of Charles III saw representatives from the Commonwealth realms carry their respective national flag instead of a banner of arms. File:Coronation standard of Canada (1911).svg|Coronation flag used in 1911 File:Coronation standard of Canada (1937–1953).svg|Coronation flag used in 1937 and 1953 File:Flag of Canada (Pantone, 3-2).svg|Coronation flag used in 2023 ==See also==