Some specifically flew the Union Flag and the colonial flag of Hong Kong, nostalgic of the "values" of the previous colonial government, namely "personal freedoms, rule of law, [and] clean governance". [116] [118] Other pro-democracy protestors choose to use the Union Flag and the colonial flag of Hong Kong in an effort to call upon the British government to declare that China had failed to uphold the Sino-British Joint Declaration. [119] Several Hongkongers that hold British National (Overseas) passports who used the flag during the protests were doing so as a call to the British government to grant British National (Overseas) the right to abode in the United Kingdom. [119] Although a small number of Hongkongers seek direct British intervention into the matter, the majority of those that used the Union Flag or the colonial flag of Hong Kong during the protests do not hold such beliefs. [118] a b c d e f "Section 8: Other Flags". canada.ca. Department of National Defence. 4 February 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020 . Retrieved 27 November 2019. a b Roantree, Anne Marie (3 July 2019). "Flag-waving Grandma Wong gives Hong Kong protesters lesson in endurance". Reuters. Thomson Reuters . Retrieved 26 June 2020. There is no specific way in which the Union Flag should be folded as there is with the United States Flag. It is usually folded rectilinearly, with the hoist on the outside, to be easily reattached to the pole. [97] [98] The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) 2002". Opsi.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 December 2009 . Retrieved 14 June 2010.

The Union Flag has no official status in the United Kingdom, and there are no national regulations concerning its use or prohibitions against flag desecration. In Northern Ireland, the Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 provide for the flying of the flag on government buildings on certain occasions, when it is flown half-mast, and how it is displayed with other flags. [96] A folded Union Flag with a tam o' shanter on top of it It is often stated that a flag upside down is a form of distress signal or even a deliberate insult. In the case of the Union Flag, the difference is subtle and is easily missed by the uninformed. It is often displayed upside down inadvertently—even on commercially-made hand waving flags. [53]This royal flag was, at first, to be used only at sea on civil and military ships of both England and Scotland, whereas land forces continued to use their respective national banners. [58] Flying the national flag at the mainmast had signified the Admiral of the Narrow Seas (the English Channel) and confusion arose. In 1634, King Charles I restricted its use to Royal Navy ships. [15] [28] After the Acts of Union 1707, the flag gained a regularised status as "the ensign armorial of the Kingdom of Great Britain", the newly created state. It was then adopted by land forces as well, although the blue field used on land-based versions more closely resembled that of the blue of the flag of Scotland. Aviators, British Airways To Fly To Serve". British Airways . Retrieved 24 February 2022– via YouTube. In 1964, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson introduced plans to replace the Union Flag with a new national flag, spurring the Great Canadian flag debate. [105] A new national flag, the Maple Leaf, was approved by the parliament of Canada on 17 December 1964. [105] However, on the following day, the Canadian parliament passed another resolution that designated the Union Flag as the Royal Union Flag and authorised its official use as the symbol of the country's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and its allegiance to the Crown. [107] The move was a concession given to those who preferred to adopt the Canadian Red Ensign as a formal national flag. On 15 February 1965, the maple leaf flag formally replaced the Union Flag as the flag of Canada following an official proclamation by Elizabeth II, [105] with the Royal Union Flag becoming an official ceremonial flag. [107] The Royal Union Flag next to the flag of Canada during a Remembrance Day parade in Stirling, Ontario, 2009 However, the meaning behind the use of the flags by pro-democracy protestors, including the Union Flag, remains disputed with protestors citing a variety of reasons for flying it. [119] Some pro-democracy protestors that flew foreign flags, including the Union Flag, did so in an effort to attract international media attention to the protests, while others did so in an effort to irritate the central government of China. [119] [120] The Union Flag, in addition to other foreign flags, were also used by some protestors to illustrate their desire for Hong Kong to be an "international city"; whereas others used the flag simply as a generic symbol of freedom. [119] [121] [122]

Griffiths, James (26 June 2016). "Hong Kong handover: The protest symbols China's scared of". CNN. WarnerMedia . Retrieved 25 June 2020. The flag proportions on land and the war flag used by the British Army have the proportions 3:5. [10] The flag's height-to-length proportions at sea are 1:2. [11] PANTONE. "PANTONE 186 C – find a PANTONE Color". www.pantone.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021 . Retrieved 16 November 2017.History of the Loyalist Flag". www.uelac.org. United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019 . Retrieved 18 March 2020. a b Bartram, Graham; Flags & Heraldry Committee (2010). Flying Flags in the United Kingdom (PDF) (PDF). London: The Flag Institute. ISBN 978-0-9513286-1-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2014 . Retrieved 13 August 2014. Correct vertical displays of the Union Flag. The left view is also the vertical display used if there is no staff or a bi-supported staff is used, and flag is only seen from one direction.

The Flags and Heraldry Committee, an all-party parliamentary group lobbying for official standards, cooperated with the Flag Institute in 2010 to publish a set of recommended guidelines for the flag's display and use as a symbol. [97] BA100: 41. The British Airways Coat Of Arms". London Air Travel. 16 August 2019 . Retrieved 26 May 2022. by the 1970s, "its current official dimension of l/30th the width of the flag" The Flag Bulletin, Volumes 12–14, Flag Research Center (1973), p. 85. Various shades of blue have been used in the saltire over the years. The ground of the current Union Flag is a deep " navy" blue ( Pantone 280), which can be traced to the colour used for the Blue Ensign of the Royal Navy's historic "Blue Squadron". (Dark shades of colour were used on maritime flags on the basis of durability.) In 2003 a committee of the Scottish Parliament recommended that the flag of Scotland use a lighter " royal" blue (Pantone 300) (the Office of the Lord Lyon does not detail specific shades of colour for use in heraldry). The New Zealand Flag" (PDF). Scouting New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011 . Retrieved 9 January 2012.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Scottish Union Flag [ edit ] Slezer's Edinburgh Castle c. 1693 depicting the Scottish Union flag [63]