Union Jack
The national flag of the United Kingdom, combining the crosses of Saint George, Saint Andrew, and Saint Patrick in a layered design.
Flag of England: The flag of England is a red cross on a white field, associated with Saint George. Its red upright cross forms the central layer of the Union Jack.
Union of the Crowns: The 1603 union of the English and Scottish crowns under James VI and I, while the kingdoms remained separate. It prompted the first combined English and Scottish royal flag.
Flag protocol: Rules and conventions governing the display, precedence, and handling of flags. Protocol determines when and how the Union Jack is displayed.
Royal Navy: The United Kingdom’s naval warfare force, historically associated with the Union Jack at sea. Naval practice helped popularize the name “Union Jack” for the flag.
United Kingdom: A sovereign state comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The flag represents this state, though its constituent nations are not all shown equally.
Flag of Scotland: The flag of Scotland is a white diagonal cross on a blue field, associated with Saint Andrew. Its white diagonal cross supplies the earliest union layer in the design.
Kingdom of Great Britain: A state formed in 1707 by the political union of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. Its creation established the political union represented by the 1707 flag design.
Flag of the United Kingdom: The official national flag of the United Kingdom, commonly called the Union Jack. This is the same flag under its formal descriptive name, not a different design.
British overseas territories: Fourteen territories under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom outside the British Isles. Several territories incorporate the Union Jack in their own flags.
British identity: A sense of national or cultural belonging associated with Britain and the United Kingdom. The flag can express shared British identity as well as distinct national loyalties.