Editing Union Jack (section)

==Status in the United Kingdom==
{{further|Flag of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:The Union Jack Flag MOD 45153521.jpg|thumb|A Union Jack flying from a jackstaff onboard a Royal Navy warship, 2011]]
The Union Jack is used as a [[jack (flag)|jack]] by commissioned warships and submarines of the [[Royal Navy]], and by commissioned [[British Army|army]] and [[Royal Air Force]] vessels. When at anchor or alongside, it is flown from the [[jackstaff]] at the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] of the ship. When a ship is underway, the Union Jack is only flown from the jackstaff when the ship is dressed for a special occasion, such as the King's official birthday.

The Union Flag is worn at the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of an [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]], former [[First Sea Lord|First Sea Lords]] and [[Admiral|Admirals]] who are or have been [[Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of Defence Staff]]. On the day on which a [[court-martial]] is to sit, the Union Flag is to be hoisted at the peak or at the yardarm as appropriate and a gun is to be fired when colours are hoisted, or at the time the signal is made if the court is ordered to sit immediately.<ref name="FOTWsea">{{cite web |date=April 2017 |title=BRd 2 - Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy |url=https://cd.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/rnweb/footer-pages-documents-and-images/brd_2_bookv6.pdf?rev=c3db9c181ea74574b7dd074ed3471c45 |access-date=10 January 2025 |website=royalnavy.mod.uk}}</ref> 

The Royal Standard is flown when the Sovereign embarks in a warship. When other members of the Royal family embark they fly their own personal standard, which is usually a modified version of the Royal Standard.

No law has been passed making the Union Jack the national flag of the United Kingdom: it has become one through precedent. Its first recorded recognition as a national flag came in 1908, when it was stated in Parliament that "the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag".<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1908/jul/14/the-flying-of-the-union-jack The Flying of the Union Jack] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118072357/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1908/jul/14/the-flying-of-the-union-jack |date=18 January 2012 }}, ''[[Hansard]]'', House of Lords Debate, 14 July 1908 vol 192 cc 579–580</ref> A more categorical statement was made by [[Secretary of State for the Home Department|Home Secretary]] [[Sir John Gilmour, 2nd Baronet|Sir John Gilmour]], in 1933 when he stated that "the Union Flag is the national flag and may properly be flown by any British subject on land."<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080205/debtext/80205-0004.htm Official Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026002232/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080205/debtext/80205-0004.htm |date=26 October 2016 }} (''[[Hansard]]''), [https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1933/jun/27/union-flag 27 June 1933; Vol. 279, c. 1324.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208033652/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1933/jun/27/union-flag |date=8 February 2016 }}</ref>
[[File:Union Jacks in Godalming - geograph.org.uk - 3028373.jpg|thumb|left|Union Jacks on two flagpoles hanging off of a building in [[Surrey]], 2012]]
Civilian use is permitted on land, but use of the unmodified flag at sea is restricted to military vessels. Unauthorised use of the flag in the 17th century to avoid paying harbour duties&nbsp;– a privilege restricted to naval ships&nbsp;– caused James's successor, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], to order that use of the flag on naval vessels be restricted to His Majesty's ships "upon pain of Our high displeasure."<ref name="Perrin 59" /> It remains a criminal offence under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995<ref>{{citation|title=The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (1995 c. 21)|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/2|at=section 2|year=1995|publisher=The National Archives|place=London|access-date=1 March 2015}}</ref> to display the Union Flag (other than the "pilot jack"&nbsp;– see below) from a British ship. Naval ships will fly the [[white ensign]], merchant and private boats can fly the [[red ensign]], others with special permission such as naval yacht clubs can fly the [[blue ensign]]. All of the coloured ensigns contain the union flag as part of the design.

The [[Court of the Lord Lyon]], which has legal jurisdiction in heraldic matters in Scotland, confirms that the Union Jack "is the correct flag for all citizens and corporate bodies of the United Kingdom to fly to demonstrate their loyalty and their nationality."<ref name="lordlyon">{{cite web |url=http://www.lyon-court.com/lordlyon/218.183.html |title=The Union Flag |website=[[The Court of the Lord Lyon]] |access-date=10 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425184926/http://www.lyon-court.com/lordlyon/218.183.html |archive-date=25 April 2018 }}</ref>

On 5 February 2008, [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) [[Andrew Rosindell]] introduced the 'Union Flag Bill' as a [[private member's bill]] under the [[Ten Minute Rule|10 Minute Rule]] in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]. The Bill sought to formalise the position of the Union Flag as the [[flag of the United Kingdom|national flag of the UK]] in law, to remove legal obstacles to its regular display.  The Bill did not receive its [[second reading]] by the end of that [[parliamentary session]].<ref name=bill>{{cite web |url=http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2007-08/unionflag.html |title=Union Flag Bill 2007–08 |website=UK Parliament |date=5 February 2008}}</ref>  The Bill stated "Union flag (commonly known as the Union Jack)" in subsection 1(1), but otherwise uses the term "Union Flag".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmbills/065/08065.i-i.html|title=Union Flag Bill|publisher=House of Commons|website=UK Parliament|date=13 October 2008|access-date=19 February 2022}}</ref>

===Flag days===
[[File:The Coldstream Guards Troop Their Colour MOD 45165212.jpg|thumb|Vertical displays of the Union Flag during a parade for Elizabeth II's [[King's Official Birthday|official birthday]]]]
In July 2007, prime minister [[Gordon Brown]] unveiled plans to have the Union Flag flown more often from government buildings.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6276280.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Brown lifts ban on national flag |date=6 July 2007 |access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref> While consultation on new guidelines was under way, the decision to fly the flag could be made by each government department.{{update inline |date=September 2012}} In March 2021, the UK government published new guidance for the Union Flag to be flown all year round on UK government buildings, unless another flag is being flown, such as another national flag of the UK, a county flag, or other flags to mark civic pride.<ref>{{cite web |title=Union flag to be flown on UK Government buildings every day |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/union-flag-to-be-flown-on-uk-government-buildings-every-day |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |access-date=27 July 2021}}</ref>

Previously, the flag was generally only flown on public buildings on days marking the birthdays of members of the [[British royal family|royal family]], the [[wedding anniversary]] of the monarch, [[Commonwealth Day]], [[Accession Day]], [[Coronation Day]], the [[King's Official Birthday|monarch's official birthday]], [[Remembrance Sunday]], and on the days of the State Opening and [[Legislative session#Common procedure|prorogation]] of Parliament. Non-government organisations were (and are) permitted to fly the Union Flag whenever they choose.

The latest specified set of days when the Union Flag should be flown from government buildings throughout the UK are:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/designated-days-for-union-flag-flying |title=Union Flag flying guidance for UK government buildings |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |date=5 February 2024 |access-date=21 April 2024}}</ref>

* Second Monday in March ([[Commonwealth Day]])
* 9 April (anniversary of the [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles|wedding of The King and The Queen]])
* 6 May (anniversary of the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation of The King and The Queen]])
* Second Saturday in June ([[King's Official Birthday|official birthday of The King]])
* 21 June (birthday of [[William, Prince of Wales|The Prince of Wales]])
* 17 July (birthday of [[Queen Camilla|The Queen]])
* 8 September (anniversary of the accession of [[Charles III|The King]])
* Second Sunday in November ([[Remembrance Sunday]])
* 14 November (actual birthday of The King)

In addition, the flag should be flown in the following areas on these days:

* [[Wales]], 1 March: [[Saint David's Day]]
* [[Northern Ireland]], 17 March: [[Saint Patrick's Day]]
* [[England]], 23 April: [[Saint George's Day]]
* [[Scotland]], 30 November: [[Saint Andrew's Day]]
* [[Greater London]]: the opening and proroguing of Parliament

[[File:Union Jack at half mast, Island Harbour marina, Isle of Wight, England (2).jpg|thumb|A Union Jack at half-mast after the [[death of Elizabeth II]] in September 2022]]
The Union Flag is flown at [[half-mast]] from the announcement of the death of the sovereign (save for Proclamation Day), or upon command of the sovereign.<ref name="dcms">{{cite web |url=http://www.culture.gov.uk/flagflying/default.htm |publisher=[[Department of Culture, Media and Sport]] |title=Flag Flying |access-date=9 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081223232022/http://www.culture.gov.uk/flagflying/default.htm |archive-date=23 December 2008}}</ref>

On 30 November, [[Saint Andrew's Day|St Andrew's Day]], the Union Flag can be flown in Scotland only where a building has more than one flagpole—on this day the Saltire will not be lowered to make way for the Union Flag if there is only one flagpole.<ref name="scotland">{{cite web |title=Flag Flying 2011 |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/royal-ceremonial/Flag-Flying-2011 |publisher=[[Scottish Government]] |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref> This difference arose after [[Member of the Scottish Parliament|members of the Scottish Parliament]] complained that Scotland was the only country in the world that could not fly its national flag on its national day. However, on 23 April, St George's Day, it is the Union Flag of the United Kingdom that is flown over UK government offices in England.<ref name="agree">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1997980.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=Ministers agree flag day review |date=20 May 2002 |access-date=9 January 2012}}</ref>

===Usage and disposal===
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.<ref>{{cite act |year=2000 |number=347 |title=The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2000/347/pdfs/nisr_20000347_en.pdf}}</ref>
[[File:Scottish and British.jpg|thumb|A folded Union Flag with a [[tam o' shanter (cap)|tam o' shanter]] on top of it]]
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.<ref name=FFitUK>{{cite book |first1=Graham |last1=Bartram |author2=Flags & Heraldry Committee |title=Flying Flags in the United Kingdom |url=http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flying_Flags_in_the_United_Kingdom.pdf |type=PDF |publisher=[[Flag Institute|The Flag Institute]] |location=London |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-9513286-1-3 |access-date=13 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611185831/http://www.flaginstitute.org/pdfs/Flying_Flags_in_the_United_Kingdom.pdf |archive-date=11 June 2014 }}</ref>

There is no specific way in which the Union Flag should be folded. It is usually folded rectilinearly, with the hoist on the outside, to be easily reattached to the pole.<ref name=FFitUK/><ref name="fotw-canada">{{FOTW|id=ca_prtcl|title=Canadian Flag Etiquette}}</ref>

Royal Navy Stores Duties Instructions, article 447, dated 26 February 1914, specified that flags condemned from further service use were to be torn up into small pieces and disposed of as rags (ADM 1/8369/56), not to be used for decoration or sold. The exception was flags that had flown in action: these could be framed and kept on board, or transferred to a "suitable place", such as a museum (ADM 1/8567/245).<ref name=Flagsofworld />

==== Position of Honour ====
[[File:Gibraltar GM 2008 (61).JPG|thumb|The Union Jack, with the flags of the European Union and Gibraltar on its sides. The Union Flag is placed in a raised, central position.]]
According to the UK Flag Protocol, the order of precedence of flags in the United Kingdom is: the [[Royal Standard of the United Kingdom|Royal Standards]], the Union Flag, the flag of the host country (England, Scotland and Wales etc.), the flags of other nations (in [[English language|English]] [[alphabetical order]]), the [[Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth Flag]], the county flags, the flags of cities or towns, the banners of arms, and the house flags.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags-2/flying-flags-in-the-united-kingdom/british-flag-protocol/#index29 |title=UK Flag Protocol – Position of Honour |access-date=7 July 2020 |archive-date=7 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707074916/https://www.flaginstitute.org/wp/british-flags-2/flying-flags-in-the-united-kingdom/british-flag-protocol/#index29 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies ====
[[File:Bermuda (UK) image number 145 Fort St. Catherine's with flags flying.jpg|thumb|The Union Jack and the [[flag of Bermuda]] flown from [[Fort St. Catherine]] in Bermuda, 2016]]
The Union Jack is the national flag of the [[British Overseas Territories]], which are parts of the British realm with varying degrees of local autonomy. Most populated administrative regions and territories of the United Kingdom have been granted a unique flag for the locality, usually the [[Blue ensign]] or [[Red ensign]] defaced with the distinguishing arms of the territory. All fly the Union Jack in some form, with the exception of [[Flag of Gibraltar|Gibraltar]] (other than the government ensign).

The [[Crown Dependencies]], unlike the British Overseas Territories, are legally not part of the United Kingdom, and the Union Jack is not an official flag there. Outside the UK, the Union Jack is usually part of a special [[Ensign (flag)|ensign]] in which it is placed in the upper left hand corner of a blue field, with a signifying crest in the bottom right. When the Union Jack and the territorial flag are flown together, the national flag is always arranged to take precedence over the territorial flag.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.naco.uk.com/assets/Uploads/flagprotocol.pdf  |title=A Guide to Flag Protocol in the United Kingdom (An extract from the book "British Flags and Emblems") |last=Bartram |first=Graham |date=2002 |website=www.naco.uk.com |publisher=The National Association of Civic Officers (NACO) |access-date=5 September 2021 |quote=General Precedence: The Royal Standard; The Personal Flag of HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; The Personal Flag of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; The Personal Flag of HRH The Prince of Wales; The Personal Flag of HRH Prince William of Wales; The Personal Flag of HRH The Duke of York; The Personal Flag of HRH The Earl of Wessex; The Personal Flag of HRH The Princess Royal; The Personal Flag of HRH The Duke of Gloucester; The Personal Flag of HRH The Duke of Kent; The Personal Flag of HRH Prince Michael of Kent; The Personal Flag of HRH Princess Alexandra; The Other Members' Standard; The Union Flag; The White Ensign of the Royal Navy; The Ensign of the Royal Air Force; The Blue and Red Ensigns; National Flag of the host constituent nation, crown dependency or over-seas territory; National Flags of England, Scotland, Wales, Crown dependencies and overseas territories; National Flags of other nations (in English alphabetical order); The United Nations Flag; The Commonwealth Flag; The European Union Flag; The British Army Flag; Counties and Metropolitan Cities; Other Cities and Towns; Banners of Arms (both personal and corporate); House Flags}}</ref>