United Kingdom — Coat of Arms and Flag

Official name	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital	London
Government	Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
Head of State	Charles III (since 2022)
Population	≈ 67 million
Area	242,495 km²
Royal motto	Dieu et mon droit (God and my right)
Order of the Garter motto	Honi soit qui mal y pense
Flag adopted	1606 (first Union Flag); 1801 (current design)
Heraldic authorities	College of Arms (England, Wales, NI); Court of the Lord Lyon (Scotland)

Blazon

Quarterly: I and IV, Gules three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued Azure (England); II, Or a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counterflory Gules (Scotland); III, Azure a harp Or stringed Argent (Ireland). The shield is encircled by the Garter bearing the motto Honi soit qui mal y pense, ensigned by the Royal Crown. Supporters: dexter a lion rampant guardant Or crowned with the Royal Crown; sinister a unicorn Argent armed, crined and unguled Or, gorged with a coronet composed of crosses pattée and fleurs-de-lys, a chain affixed thereto reflexed over the back also Or. Motto: Dieu et mon droit.

The Three Kingdoms

The Royal Arms are arms of dominion, representing the sovereign’s authority over the three historic kingdoms united under the Crown. The first and fourth quarters bear England’s three golden lions passant guardant — a device traced to Richard I (the Lionheart) in the 1190s. The second quarter carries Scotland’s red lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counterflory, attributed to William I “the Lion” of Scotland in the twelfth century. The third quarter displays Ireland’s golden harp, used as a symbol of the lordship — and later kingdom — of Ireland since the reign of Henry VIII.

Supporters, Garter and Motto

The shield is flanked by a crowned golden lion (England) on the dexter and a silver unicorn in chains (Scotland) on the sinister. The unicorn is chained because, in medieval lore, an unchained unicorn was considered a dangerous beast. Encircling the shield, the blue Garter of the Most Noble Order of the Garter — founded by Edward III around 1348 — bears the inscription Honi soit qui mal y pense (“Shame on him who thinks evil of it”). Below, a scroll carries the royal motto Dieu et mon droit, adopted as the English royal motto by Henry V after the Battle of Agincourt (1415).

The Scottish Version

In Scotland, a different version of the Royal Arms is used: the Scottish quarters (lion rampant) take the first and fourth positions, while England’s three lions move to the second. The supporters are reversed — the unicorn stands on the dexter, crowned with the Crown of Scotland, while the lion moves to the sinister. The shield is encircled by the collar of the Order of the Thistle with the motto Nemo me impune lacessit (“No one provokes me with impunity”).

Historical Evolution

1198 — Richard I adopts three lions passant guardant as the arms of England.

1340–1801 — English (and later British) monarchs quarter the arms of France (Azure, three fleurs-de-lys Or) with those of England, asserting their claim to the French throne.

1603 — James VI of Scotland inherits the English and Irish crowns; the arms of Scotland and Ireland are quartered with those of England and France for the first time.

1707 — Acts of Union merge England and Scotland into Great Britain; the arms are re-quartered accordingly.

1801 — The Act of Union with Ireland produces the present quartering; the French arms are finally dropped.

1837 — The Hanoverian inescutcheon is removed when the personal union with Hanover ends under Queen Victoria.

2022 — Charles III accedes; the arms remain unchanged in form.

The First Union Flag (1606)

When James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, he wanted a flag to symbolise the union of the two crowns. By Royal Decree of 12 April 1606, a new flag was created combining the red Cross of St George (England) with the white Saltire of St Andrew (Scotland) on a blue field. This “King’s Colours” was initially intended for maritime use only. In 1634, Charles I restricted its use to vessels of the Royal Navy.

The 1801 Redesign

Following the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom on 1 January 1801, the red Saltire of St Patrick was added to the flag. To prevent either cross from taking precedence, the St Patrick’s saltire was placed counterchanged with St Andrew’s — each taking the superior position on alternate halves of the flag, creating its distinctive asymmetrical appearance.

Wales and the Union Jack

Wales is not separately represented in the Union Jack. When the first Union Flag was designed in 1606, Wales had been legally incorporated into the Kingdom of England since the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542. It was therefore considered part of England’s representation through St George’s Cross. Periodic proposals to add the Welsh dragon or the Cross of St David have not resulted in any official change.

Name and Usage

Both “Union Jack” and “Union Flag” are considered correct. The term “Jack” may derive from the jack staff at the bow of naval vessels. The flag has no single statute defining it; its design rests on Royal Proclamation and long-established convention. It may be flown by any person or body in the United Kingdom without restriction.

The United Kingdom is home to one of the oldest and most active heraldic systems in the world. Two separate authorities govern the granting and regulation of arms:

• The College of Arms (London, founded 1484) — the heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is headed by the Earl Marshal (the Duke of Norfolk) and staffed by Kings of Arms, Heralds and Pursuivants. The College continues to grant new coats of arms to this day.
• The Court of the Lord Lyon (Edinburgh) — the heraldic authority for Scotland. Uniquely, the Lord Lyon King of Arms holds full judicial authority to enforce heraldic law under the Lyon King of Arms Act 1672. Bearing unregistered arms in Scotland is a criminal offence.

English heraldry was formalised from the mid-twelfth century, with the earliest recorded grants dating to the reign of Henry III. The heraldic visitations of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries — tours by heralds to verify and record armorial bearings across each county — created a rich documentary archive that remains a cornerstone of genealogical research.

The four constituent countries and the historic counties of the United Kingdom each carry distinctive heraldic identities:

• England — The three lions (leopards in French heraldry) of the Plantagenets, used continuously since Richard I.
• Scotland — The red lion rampant within a double tressure, among the most ancient and strictly protected arms in Europe.
• Wales — The Red Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) on a green-and-white field, granted as a Royal Badge by Henry VII after the Battle of Bosworth (1485).
• Northern Ireland — Uses variants of the Red Hand of Ulster; the official government arms feature a six-pointed star and crown.
• Cornwall — Sable, fifteen bezants in a triangle — attributed to Richard, Earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry III.
• Kent — Gules, a horse rampant Argent — the “White Horse of Kent,” echoing Anglo-Saxon tradition.
• Yorkshire — The White Rose of the House of York, one of the most iconic English heraldic badges.
• Lancashire — The Red Rose of Lancaster, counterpart to Yorkshire’s white, famous for the Wars of the Roses.

What do the quarters of the Royal Arms represent?

The shield is quartered: the first and fourth quarters bear the three golden lions passant guardant of England, the second quarter the red lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland, and the third quarter the golden harp of Ireland. Together they represent the three kingdoms united under the British Crown.

Why is the British flag called the Union Jack?

The name “Union Jack” (or “Union Flag”) reflects the union of three crosses of the patron saints: St George’s red cross for England (1606), St Andrew’s white saltire for Scotland (1606), and St Patrick’s red saltire for Ireland (added in 1801). The term “Jack” may derive from the jack staff on the bow of naval vessels where the flag was originally flown.

Why is Wales not represented on the Union Jack?

When the first Union Flag was created in 1606 by James VI & I, Wales was already legally incorporated into the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542. It was therefore considered part of England’s heraldic representation through St George’s Cross, and no separate Welsh element was added.

What is the difference between the College of Arms and the Court of the Lord Lyon?

The College of Arms in London is the heraldic authority for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, responsible for granting and recording coats of arms. The Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh serves the same function for Scotland under Scots law, with the Lord Lyon King of Arms holding judicial authority to enforce heraldic regulations — a power unique among heraldic offices worldwide.

What do the motto and supporters of the Royal Arms mean?

The motto Dieu et mon droit (French for “God and my right”) has been the royal motto of England since Henry V. The supporters are a crowned golden lion (for England) and a silver unicorn in chains (for Scotland). The Garter surrounding the shield bears the Order of the Garter motto Honi soit qui mal y pense (“Shame on him who thinks evil of it”).

• Woodcock, Thomas & Robinson, John Martin — The Oxford Guide to Heraldry, Oxford University Press.
• Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles — A Complete Guide to Heraldry, T.C. & E.C. Jack (1909).
• Boutell, Charles — Heraldry, Historical and Popular, Winsor & Newton.
• Innes of Learney, Sir Thomas — Scots Heraldry, Oliver & Boyd.
• Znamierowski, Alfred — The World Encyclopedia of Flags, Lorenz Books.
• Smith, Whitney — Flags Through the Ages and Across the World, McGraw-Hill.
• The College of Arms — college-of-arms.gov.uk.
• The Court of the Lord Lyon — courtofthelordlyon.scot.

Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 2026-06-21.