The Union Flag: meaning, history and design

The Union Flag is the national flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories. The UK government calls it “a symbol of national unity and pride”. It is unusual in two ways: it is made of three overlapping crosses, and, according to the Flag Institute, it is the world’s only national flag that has no basis in law.

Three crosses, one flag

The Union Flag combines three national crosses:

According to the government, the first Union Flag was created in 1606 and combined the flags of England and Scotland. The present Union Flag dates from 1801, when, according to the Flag Institute, St Patrick’s Cross was added to represent Ireland. The Flag Institute notes that this is when it became possible to display the flag, incorrectly, upside down. Wales is not represented in the Union Flag; its own national flag is the Red Dragon.

The design

According to the Flag Institute’s specification:

• The flag comprises three crosses on a royal blue background: a red St George’s cross, a white St Andrew’s saltire and a red St Patrick’s saltire.
• Each diagonal is six units wide: three white, two red and one white.
• The broader white diagonal is uppermost at the hoist, nearest the flagpole, and the narrower white diagonal uppermost at the fly.
• A six-unit-wide red cross runs from edge to edge, with a two-unit-wide white border.
• The recommended colours are Pantone 280 C for royal blue and Pantone 186 C for red, with no specification for white.

The College of Arms, the Crown body responsible for heraldry in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, publishes its own approved designs of the Union Flag, as the government’s flag guidance notes.

Proportions

According to the Flag Institute, the normal proportions of the Union Flag for use on land are 3:5, and the customary proportions of ensigns for use at sea are 1:2. More in the guide to flag sizes.

The right way up

In the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe is above the red diagonal stripe. According to the Flag Institute this is because Scotland’s St Andrew’s Cross takes precedence over Ireland’s St Patrick’s Cross, and flying the flag upside down is most improper. The Scottish Government describes the same rule in its guidance: the broader diagonal white stripe at the top left, nearest the flagpole.

A national flag by custom

According to the Flag Institute, there is no Flag Act in UK law: the Union Flag is the national flag by long-established custom and practice rather than by statute. The Flag Institute has tried to give it a basis in law, most recently through the Union Flag Bill in 2008, which was introduced under the Ten Minute Rule but did not progress beyond its first reading.

Union Flag or Union Jack?

Both names are used. According to the Flag Institute, the national flag may be called the Union Flag or the Union Jack. The government’s guidance uses “Union Flag”.

The flag today

The government encourages UK government buildings to fly the Union Flag all year round, and it is flown on designated days by command of the King. More in the guide to flag days, and about how flags and flagpoles developed in the guide to flagpole history.