The Royal Standard (Spain) (Estandarte Real or Estandarte del Rey) is the official flag of the King of Spain. It comprises a crimson square, traditional colour of both Castilian and Spanish monarchs, with the coat of arms of the King in the center. It is raised over the official royal residence in Madrid, the Palacio de la Zarzuela and other Spanish royal sites, when the monarch is in residence and displayed on his official car as small flag. The current flag was adopted when Felipe VI acceded the throne as King of Spain on 19 June 2014. The Royal Standard is regulated by Rule 2 of Royal Decree 527/2014, 20 June, an amendment to Title II of Spanish Royal Decree 1511/1977 adopting Flags, Standards, Guidons, Insignia and Emblems Regulation.[1]
The Royal Guidon (Guión), the military personal ensign, was also adopted on 19 June 2014. It is described by Rule 1 of Royal Decree 527/2014, an amendment to Title II, Rule 1 of Spanish Royal Decree 1511/1977.[1]
It is similar to the Royal Standard except the Royal Guidon has a gold surround. It is made of silk's taffeta and measures 80 x 80 cm in size. It is the personal command sign or positional flag of the monarch and traditionally was carried with him. The proportions of the coat of arms are smaller than on the standard.[2]
The heraldic standard, also known as the pendón real, has been, as in other European monarchies, the personal flag of the Spanish monarchs and has been used in events of greater solemnity. It was formed by the elements of the monarch's shield without the exterior adornments and has not recovered since its disappearance in 1931.
The royal standard is the personal banner of the monarch. The guidon, of military use, was formed from the reign of Philip II by the same elements of the standard but incorporating the Cross of Burgundy, a fringe and a cordoncillo. During the period of the House of Austria, the Cross of Burgundy did not appear frequently in the royal standard. The Catholic Monarchs and Charles I (as monarchs of Castile) used the guidon of the Castilian monarchs, the Banda de Castilla which was a square flag of crimson color in which there was a band between two dragons. The Catholic Monarchs included in the Band of Castile the yoke and arrows which were replaced with the Columns of Hercules during the reign of Charles I. Fernando the Catholic also used the guidon that corresponded to him as monarch of Aragon. The Catholic Monarchs also frequently used, since 1492, a banner that consisted of a white cloth with their coat of arms.
Quarterly, 1 and 4. quarterly Castile-León, 2 and 3. per pale Aragon and Aragon-Sicily.
After the 1492 Conquest of Granada, the kingdom was represented in the Royal Arms by the addition enté en point of Granada's arms.
The heraldic banner has long been used by the Catholic Monarchs as their military ensign.
After the dynastic union with Portugal in 1580, the arms of the Monarchy became per fess, in chief per pale, A. quarterly Castile and Leon, B. per pale Aragon and Aragon-Sicily, the whole enté en point Granada and with an escutcheon of Portugal on the honor point; in base quarterly Austria, Burgundy ancient, Burgundy modern and Brabant, with an escutcheon (in the nombril point) per pale Flanders and Tyrol.
Per fess: 1. per pale, quarterly Castile and Aragon, enté en point Granada, and per pale, Aragon and Aragon-Sicily; 2. Quarterly, Austria, Burgundy ancient, Burgundy modern and Brabant; enté en point, per pale Flanders and Tyrol. Overall an escutcheon Anjou.
Quarterly of six (in three rows of two each): 1. per pale Aragon and Aragon-Sicily; 2. per pale Austria and Burgundy modern; 3. Farnese 4. Medici; 5. Burgundy ancient; 6. Brabant; enté en point per pale Flanders and Tyrol. Overall an escutcheon quarterly of Castile and León enté en point of Granada, overall Anjou. The royal arms were removed by the revolution of 1868. When the Bourbons were restored with Alfonso XII, a decree (8 January 1875) recovered the coat of arms (and the banner of arms) as it stood until 29 September 1868 as personal arms. In 1930 Alfonso XIII, substituted the Aragon quarter with Jerusalem. The Spanish Monarch hasn't used a Banner of Arms since 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed.[5]
The Standard of the Princess of Asturias (Estandarte de la Princesa de Asturias) is regulated by Royal Decree 979/2015, an amendment to Title II of Spanish Royal Decree 1511/1977.[7]
The Princess's Standard comprises a light blue (the colour of the Flag of Asturias) square flag displaying the coat of arms of the Prince of Asturias in the center. The Guidon, her military ensign, has a gold surround.
A banner of arms is a square or oblong heraldic flag that is larger than a pennon. It bears the entire coat of arms of the owner, composed precisely as upon a shield but in a square or rectangular shape. Banners of knights of the Order of the Garter are displayed during their lifetime at St George's Chapel in Windsor.[8] From Victorian times, Garter banners have been approximately 5 feet by 5 feet[9] and have a fringe. Reigning European monarchs are admitted to the Order as "Strangers". Juan Carlos I and his successor Felipe VI are concurrently Stranger Knights of the Garter. The Spanish monarch's banner (like the arms) is divided into four quarters: the 1st for Castile, 2nd for León, 3rd for Aragon and 4th for Navarre; enté en point, with a pomegranate for Granada and an inescutcheon with the arms of the regnant House of Bourbon-Anjou. The fringe is golden, as for other foreign monarchs and British Royal Family members.[10]
The castle of Castile, with three windows and narrow, and the Navarrese chains are carefully detailed in both banners, according to the designs displayed in the amendment to Title II of Royal Decree 527/2014 (for King Felipe VI) and the original contents of Title II of Spanish Royal Decree 1511/1977 (for King Juan Carlos).[11][12]
The tinctures of the pomegranate are changed in the banner of King Juan Carlos, Gules seeded Or, and it is carefully designed and coloured in his successor's one, proper (light) seeded Gules. The colour of the lion is so darkly in the case of King Juan Carlos[13] and precise in Felipe VI's heraldic flag.[14] Other Spanish members of the Garter were Alfonso V of Aragon (1450-†1458), Ferdinand the Catholic, Charles I (1508-†1558), Philip II (1554-†1598), Ferdinand VII (1814–†1833), Alfonso XII (1881–†1885) and Alfonso XIII (1902–†1941).[15]
Personal Standards of former members of the Royal House, and standards previously used by current members of the royal house.