The Symbols of Great Britain

The Flag of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or Union Jack — technically the latter term, although the more common name for the flag, refers to its use asnaval flag when flown at sea. The current design of the flag dates from the Union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. It consists of the red crosses of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white,superimposedon the Cross of St. Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew(patron saint of Scotland).Wales, however, is not represented in the Union Flag by Wales' patron saint,Saint David, as at the time the flag was designed Wales was part of the United Kingdom.

The Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom

The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the officialcoat of arms of theBritish monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. Variants of the Royal Arms are used by other members of theRoyal Family; and by theBritish Government in connection with the administration and government of the country. The Royal Arms as shown above may only be used by the Queen herself. They also appear in court rooms, since the monarch is the fountof justice in the UK and the law Court is part of the Court of the monarch. Judges are officially representatives of the crown, demonstrated by the Queen's Coat of Arms which sits behind the judge on the wall of every court in the land, with the exceptions of the magistrate's court in the City of London, in which a sword stands vertically behind the judge which is flanked by the arms of the City and the Crown. The British Government also uses the Royal Coat of Arms as a national symbol of the United Kingdom, and, in that capacity, the Coat of Arms can be seen on several government documents and forms, passports, in the entrance to embassies and consulates, etc. However, when used by the government and not by the sovereign herself, the coat of arms is often represented without thehelm. A banner of the arms, the Royal Standard is flown from the Royal Palaces when the Queen is in residence; and from public buildings only when the Queen is present. At royal residences such as Windsor Castle Buckingham Palace, the Queen's main residence, the Royal Standard is flown to indicate when the monarch is in residence.

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 1086