You may have seen the Royal Standard flying above Buckingham Palace. What does it signify?

Typically the Royal Standard is flown over a royal residence only when the monarch is physically present and in residence.

But a refurbishment of Buckingham Palace has meant King Charles III and Queen Camilla have been living in Clarence House while in London and, as a result, the Royal Standard flying over both the palace and Clarence House.

The King has announced, meanwhile, that while Buckingham Palace will remain the primary venue for ceremonial and official functions, he and the Queen intend to continue to reside at Clarence House even after the completion of the renovation project next year.

Which means that the current situation will continue including flying the Royal Standard above both properties when the King is in London, and flying the Union Jack from the top of the palace flagpole when he’s not.

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Interestingly, until 1997, the Royal Standard was the only flag to ever fly above Buckingham Palace (and never at half-mast for there is always a monarch on the throne – although, there was an error following the death of King Edward VII in 1910 when it apparently did so for several hours before being was corrected).

Following public outcry after the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Union Jack to be flown at half-mast over the palace during her funeral.

And it has since flown at half-mast on numerous occasions, including for the death of former PM Margaret Thatcher and members of the royal family including the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret as well as on other occasions of national mourning such as the terrorist bombings in London in 2005.