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Flags and standards worn in the Yacht
- Once approved, the Ceremonial Proposals for each visit will dictate these, but the following notes are guidance on the ‘norm’.
- HM The Queen Embarked
- Main -
Royal Standard (or personal flag) (or personal flag for the Commonwealth country visited). - Fore -
Flag of Lord High Commodore - Mizzen -
Union Flag (or National flag of the Commonwealth country visited).
- HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Embarked
- Main -
Personal Standard - Fore -
Union Flag or Commodore of the Fleet. - Mizzen -
Union Flag (or National flag of the Commonwealth country visited).
Mizzen flag may be: - Master of Trinity House – Normally
- Commodore of Royal Yacht Squadron or Patron/Commodore/Commodore of other Yacht Club as appropriate – Cowes
- Commodore of Gibraltar Yacht Club – Sometimes at Gibraltar
- Standard of Grand Master of Honourable Company of Master Mariners – On Merchant Navy occasions
- Commodore of RNSA.
- Other members of the Royal Family
- Main Personal Standard
- Fore CORY’s Broad Pennant
- Mizzen White Ensign or National Flag of the Commonwealth country visited or other flag (eg Prince of Wales – Trinity House Jack and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother – Lord Warden of the Cinque ports.
- TRH The Royal Children If alone, CORY’s Broad Pennant only.
- Foreign Royalty and Heads of State Precedent and particular circumstances of the day will decide what should be done. The SCO and the CCY keep a record of previous occasions.
- Sizes of Court Flags Various sizes are worn depending on the circumstances and the weather. The following are representative:
| | Jack | Fore | Main | Mizzen | Ensign |
| Harbour and at Sea close to land | 10 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 |
| At Sea on Passage | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
At Sea (bad weather) OR | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
- Standards in Other Ships The Personal Standard only is hoisted in other ships for short visits. The Personal Standard will continue to be worn in HM Yacht during such visits.
- Dress Ship Apart from the established dress ship occasions, the Yacht normally dresses overall in harbour whenever Royalty is embarked. At Cowes the Yacht is dressed overall as follows:
- Day Royalty arrives onboard.
- Cowes Town Regatta Day.
- Day of departure of Royalty.
- Responsibility for Flags in the Yacht The SCO is responsible for 6 breadth flags and above, while the Boatswain provides 4 breadth flags and below (including car flags and boat plates).