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# Dictionary of Vexillology: R (Royal Arms – RYA Crown)

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Last modified: 2026-07-11 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- ROYAL ARMS (or ROYAL COAT OF ARMS)
- ROYAL BANNER
- ROYAL BROAD PENNANT
- ROYAL COLOUR (or COLOR)
- ROYAL COMMAND FLAG (or BANNER)
- ROYAL CROWN (or ROYAL CROWN CLOSED)
- ROYAL CYPHER
- ROYAL DECREE
- ROYAL EMBLEM
- ROYAL FLAG(S)
- ROYAL MAIL PENNANT
- ROYAL MASTHEAD PENNANT (or ROYAL PENNANT)
- ROYAL ORDER IN COUNCIL
- ROYAL PLATE
- ROYAL PROCLAMATION
- ROYAL STANDARD(S)
- ROYAL TRESSURE
- ROYAL WARRANT
- ROYAL YACHTING ASSOCIATION (or RYA) CROWN
- RUDDER STRIPES
- RULE OF TINCTURE
- RULES OF ETIQUETTE
- RULES OF RESPECT
- RUNE
- RUNNING EYE
- RUNNING EYE AND TOGGLE
- RURAL CROWN
- RUSE DE GUERRE
- RYA CROWN

ROYAL ARMS (or ROYAL COAT OF ARMS)
  The personal arms of a country’s monarch, in contemporary usage these are either taken in a lightly amended form for governmental use, or form the greater arms of a nation state – see state arms 1) under arms (also imperial arms, pavillion, royal standard(s) 1)).

  Royal Arms, Romania 1872; Royal Standard, Spain; Royal/Greater Coat of Arms, Sweden

ROYAL BANNER
  1) See royal standard 1) and following note.
  2) See banner of the realm.

  Royal Flag/Standard and Banner of the Realm, The Netherlands

ROYAL BROAD PENNANT
  See broad pennant 4).

  Queen’s Broad Pennant, Thailand

ROYAL COLOUR (or COLOR)
  See colour 2) and colours 2).

  King’s Colour of the Royal Walloon Guards c. 1734–1760, Spain; Queens Colour of the Regiment of Chasseurs Isabel II 1841–1844, Spain

ROYAL COMMAND FLAG (or BANNER)
  In Swedish usage, a banner of the royal arms (thus differing from the normal Swedish royal standard) and flown in the presence of His Majesty the King when attending military functions, or when acting in his honorary capacity as commander in chief of Sweden’s armed forces (see also banner 1) and royal standard(s) 1)).

  Royal Command Flag, Sweden; Royal Standard, Sweden

ROYAL CROWN (or ROYAL CROWN CLOSED)
  See crown 1).

  Flag of the Governor of Southern Rhodesia 1951–1965

ROYAL CYPHER (or CIPHER)
  1) The combination of letters (or a single letter) and numerals, usually ensigned with a crown, that is the personal mark of a reigning, previous or former monarch (see also personal flag 1)).
  2) See monogram.

  Royal Cypher (for use in England) of HM King Charles III, UK

ROYAL DECREE
  In some systems of monarchy, the legal means by which a crowned head of state authorizes display of a flag or the amendment of an established design, and the equivalent of a US executive order, a presidential decree or a Royal Order in Council – see royal order in council 2) (also flag law).

  State/National Flag and Arms of Spain, plus the Yacht Ensign of Spain 1875–1931 as authorized by Royal Decrees

ROYAL EMBLEM
  See emblem, state, national or royal under emblem.

  Royal Standards and Royal/National Emblem, Thailand

ROYAL FLAG(S)
  1) See royal standard(s) 1) and royal standard(s) 2).
  2) In the plural, a general heading under which all the flags, standards and banners relating to the sovereign, or to the royal family, of any particular country or countries are listed (see also imperial flag(s) 2)).

  Standard of HRH Prince Philip 1921–2021, UK; Royal Command Flag, Sweden; Standard of the Raja Perempuan (or Wife of the Ruler) of Perlis, Malaysia

ROYAL MASTHEAD PENNANT (or ROYAL PENNANT)
  A pennant of the same dimensions as the standard naval masthead pennant, and flown in place of that pennant when the monarch is aboard ship – but see broad pennant 4) and presidential masthead pennant (also masthead pennant 1)).

  Royal Masthead Pennant, Norway

  Please note that as far as is known only Norway and Sweden currently fly a pennant exactly as described above.

ROYAL ORDER IN COUNCIL
  1) In current UK usage, the legal instrument by which the Monarch (upon the advice of his/her privy council and under powers granted by statute law) authorizes a usually (but not invariably) defaced red ensign – an order in council (see also civil ensign under ensign, deface, flag law, red ensign 1) with its following note royal proclamation and warrant.
  2) In some other monarchical usage, the legal means by which a head of state confirms or authorizes display of a flag, such as that which established the Driekleur as the national flag of the Netherlands in 1937 (see also executive order, presidential decree, royal decree).

  Civil Ensign of The Falklands Islands; Civil Ensign of Gibraltar; Civil Ensign of Guernsey

ROYAL PLATE
  In British Royal Naval usage and some others, the royal equivalent of a flag disc and used on boats in place of the appropriate royal standard when full ceremonial is not required.

  Plates of The Late Duke of Edinburgh; The Prince of Wales and of Other Members of the Royal Family, UK (Graham Bartram)

  Please note that in British Royal Navy usage a boat with His Majesty The King on board never carries a royal plate, but always flies the royal standard which requires full ceremonial.

ROYAL PROCLAMATION
  In UK and some other monarchical usage, the means by which a royal decision is made public – see royal decree, royal order in council 1), warrant.

  The Union Flag as proclaimed in 1606, England/UK; Customs Ensign as proclaimed in 1694, England/UK

ROYAL STANDARD(S)
  1) That flag, frequently a banner of arms, which signifies the presence and/or authority of the monarch – but see note below (also banner of the realm, distinguishing jack, imperial arms, imperial standard(s) 1), imperial standard(s) 2), personal flag 1), presidential standard(s) 1), royal command flag, royal arms.
  2) In the plural, a term sometimes applied to the flags flown by other members of a royal family – the queen’s, crown prince’s standard etc. (see also label 2)).
  3) In UK military usage, the official name of the state colour of the Grenadier Guards – but see state colour 2).

  Royal Standards, UK , Thailand, and Spain 1761–1931

  Please note that this term has been defined in 1) above according to current UK usage (dating from the early 17th century), but should, strictly speaking, only be applied to Royal Standards of the heraldic pattern as detailed herein under standard 3) and standard 4), and the term Royal Banner employed where more appropriate (see also banner 1)).

  The Heraldic Standard of King Richard III of England 1483–1485

ROYAL TRESSURE
  See double-tressure fleury counter fleury.

  Royal Banner of Scotland

ROYAL WARRANT
  See warrant.

  Flag of Jersey, established by Royal Warrant

ROYAL YACHTING ASSOCIATION (or RYA) CROWN
  See yachting crown.

  Official Duty Ensign of the Royal Yachting Association, UK

RUDDER STRIPES
  See fin flash.

  Rudder Stripes/Fin Flash of the Peruvian Air Force

RULE OF TINCTURE
  Most authoritative sources agree that good flag design should obey the heraldic Rule of Tincture, and it is therefore stated in brief here: A colour should never be placed on a colour or a metal (that is silver and gold in heraldry and generally white and yellow in flags) on a metal. Metal may, however, be placed on colour and colour on metal – see tinctures (also mixed tinctures).

  Flag of Dorset, England; Flag of New Mexico, U.S.; Flag of Selangor

  Please note, it is suggested that those deeply interested in this subject should consult a glossary or dictionary of heraldry for a more complete description.

RULES OF ETIQUETTE
  The rules governing flag etiquette (or the protocol governing flag usage) vary slightly from country to country, but are stated briefly in Appendix II (see also flag code, flag law, precedence).

RULES OF RESPECT
  The rules that govern respect for the national flag may be summed up in a Golden Rule, which simply stated says that the national flag should be treated with respect at all times. The particulars of what exactly this respect entails vary in detail, legal status and extent, from country to country, however, the general principles remain the same and a full list is given in Appendix II.

RUNE
  Figure(s) taken from an ancient form of the written word which is (or has been) largely (but not exclusively) used by various Nazi or neo-Nazi groups on their uniforms and/or flag (see also neo-nazi flags and swastika).

  Flag of the Viking Youth, Germany; Flag of the National Alliance c. 1970, USA; Flag of Afrikaner Student Federation, South Africa

  Please note that the so called “sig runes” on the SS badge were an invention (by an employee the badge makers) in 1932.

  Car Flag of Waffen-SS Commanders 1942–1945, Germany

RUNNING EYE
  See becket.

RUNNING EYE AND TOGGLE
  A traditional method, of hoisting a flag much favoured in European countries, whereby a rope is sewn into the heading fitted with a wooden toggle at the top and a loop, becket or eye splice at the bottom that fastens them to their opposites on the halyard – toggle and becket or roped heading (see also hoistline, clip and grommet).

RURAL CROWN
  See mural crown 2) and its following note.

  Arms of Kylazhynci, Ukraine

RUSE DE GUERRE
  The French term for a "trick of war" – see false colours.

RYA CROWN
  See yachting crown.

  Official Duty Ensign of the Royal Yachting Association, UK

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