LONDON TRAVEL VLOG | Buckingham Palace, Tate Modern & Battersea Power Station

[@denniswilliams160]

Sorry, the flag flying on Buckingham Palace was the Union Flag which means the monarch is NOT in the palace. The Royal Standard is flown when they are in.

[@camillaclarkevlogs]

Oo that’s good to know! I was always told that if a flag is flying then they’re home! Thanks for sharing :)

[@denniswilliams160]

@@camillaclarkevlogs You were almost correct in that belief. The Royal Standard (actually, it's a Banner of Arms rather than a Standard) is flown when the Monarch is in residence in one of the royal palaces and on his car, ship, or aeroplane. It may be flown on any building, official or private, during a visit by the Monarch, if the owner or proprietor so requests. It famously replaces the Union Flag over the Palace of Westminster when the Monarch visits during the State Opening of Parliament. Traditionally no flag was flown on any palace if the monarch wasn't present. However, controversy arose regarding the lack of a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. The Queen was then in summer residence at Balmoral; and according to established custom, no flag was displayed over Buckingham Palace. The Queen proposed a compromise whereby the Union Flag would be flown at half-mast on the day of Diana's funeral. The Union Flag was also flown at half-mast over Buckingham Palace as a mark of respect on the first anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on Bank Holiday, Monday, 31 August 1998. Since then, the Union Flag has flown regularly in the monarch's absence.

[@camillaclarkevlogs]

Wow, thank you for sharing all this knowledge with me! That’s really interesting.