has and has had a variety of flags to represent her personally and as head of state of 16 independent nations around the world. They are usually used on any building, ship, car, or aircraft where she is present. These heraldic flags are usually a nation's coat of arms in banner form.
Princess Elizabeth's personal standard prior to her accession as queen was her coat of arms in banner form. This consisted of four quarters consisting of three lions passant for England, a lion rampant for Scotland, and a Gaelic harp for Northern Ireland. To differentiate the arms of Princess Elizabeth from that of the King it was differenced with a white label of three points, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose and the first and third a cross of St George.
Upon the death of her father, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II and therefore adopted the Royal Standard. This flag is used to represent the Queen not only in the United Kingdom but also overseas when she makes state visits. It is the royal arms in banner form undifferentiated.
Personal flag
The Royal Household may display Queen Elizabeth II's personal flag on any building, ship, car, or aircraft in which she is staying or travelling. It often represents Her Majesty in her role as Head of the Commonwealth or as monarch of a Commonwealth realm in which she does not possess a unique flag. This flag, designed in the College of Arms in 1960, was first used in 1961 for the Queen's visit to India. The flag bears the crowned letter E in gold, surrounded by a garland of gold roses on a blue background, with a golden fringe. The crown is a symbol of the Queen's rank and dignity, whilst the roses symbolise the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. The flag was created at the Queen's request in December 1960 to symbolise her as an individual, not associated with her role as sovereign of any particular Commonwealth realm. Over time, the flag started to be used in place of the British royal standard when the Queen visits Commonwealth countries where she is not head of state and for Commonwealth occasions in the United Kingdom; it came to symbolise the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. Eventually, the practice evolved wherein the flag is raised at Marlborough House in London when the Queen visits, rather than the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom.
Commonwealth realms
Since the 1960s, flags have been introduced to represent the queen in various commonwealth realms. These flags have followed the same basic pattern: the nation's coat of arms in banner form with the device found on her personal flag. These flags are only used by the Queen when she was in their respective countries. The Queen's representatives in these nations have their own flags to represent them.
