Last modified: 2010-01-30 by ivan sache
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The book Hellenic flags [k7k97] says that, according to the Decree of 4 April 1833, the Royal naval standard is of the plain cross type with the Bavarian arms in lozengy pattern. With the end of Bavarian dynasty in 1862, the Bavarian arms disappeared.
Norman Martin, 1 August 1999
I guess the same royal standards as used under the Danish dynasty and shown in Flaggenbuch [neu92] existed from 1833 to 1862, with the Bavarian lesser arms instead of the Danish arms.
Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000
Royal standard - Image by Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000
Quoting Barraclough & Crampton, 1981 [c2b81]:
The last King of Greece, Constantine II, has lived abroad since 1967. His personal standard is like the [pre-1978, white-cross-on-blue] national flag, but with a large shield of the royal arms in the centre, ensigned with the Greek crown, and a small crown in each canton. The shield of arms is the same as previously used in Denmark: King Constantine is the great-grandson of Prince George of Denmark who became King of Greece in 1863.
Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the Royal standard matching that description and illustration: a square blue flag, bearing a white cross with arms one-fifth as wide as the flag. The shield (without the crown) is centred on the flag, its approximate width being 4/10th that of the flag, and its height (without the crown and the lower 'tip') 9/20th. The crown's width is approximately 9/40th that of the flag, only slightly exceeding that of the cross. The four small crowns are centred on the cantons, and their width is approximately 1/6 that of the flag.
About the former Danish arms, Barraclough & Crampton [c2b81] say:
[...]on the accession of Queen Margrethe II on 14 January 1972 it was decided to simplify them [...] the white cross fimbriated red which divides [the shield] into quarters has been made curvilinear instead of rectilinear as before.
More detail on the former Danish arms is found in Heraldry of the World [vvb73]:
Up to 1948 Iceland's falcon [white on a blue field, a gold crown over, not on, its head] was also included [in the third quarter]. The fourth quarter contains two imaginary charges from the 13th century to illustrate the King's suzerainty over the Goths and Wends. The four quarters of the inescutcheon show the King's titles as Duke of Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen and Lauenburg. The centre shield contains the family arms of the Oldenburg dynasty, two bars gules on a field or, with Delmenhorst. On the accession of Queen Margrethe in 1972 the royal achievement was somewhat simplified. The arms for the Goths and Wends in the fourth quarter were eliminated and replaced by Denmark repeated from the first quarter; the two inescutcheons were replaced by a single inescutcheon bearing only the two bars of Oldenburg; and the limbs of the cross were carried to the edges of the shield.
Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the shield (not the whole achievement of arms) of the Greek and Danish Royal standards as being almost identical, the main difference being the Iceland quarter. In Denmark this is shown as a silver falcon on blue, whereas in Greece it is depicted as a white stockfish (a dried cod) with a gold crown on red. The reason is that from the XVIth century until 1903, the latter were the arms of Iceland. Since the Greek Royal family are an offspring of the Danish one since 1863, they carried with them the 1863 Danish arms, with the stockfish for Iceland.
Crown Prince's standard - Image by Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000
Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the Crown Prince's standard, which is identical to the Royal standard but with only one of the small crowns in the upper left quarter.
Standard for other members of the Royal Family - Image by Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000
Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the Standard for other members of the Royal Family, which is identical to the Royal standard but with no small crowns.
King's broad pennant - Image by Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000
Flaggenbuch [neu92] shows the King's broad pennant, which is like this last standard, adding to it a tapering fly which makes the complete pennant have a 1:5 ratio. The width at the fly is approximately 2/5 that of the hoist, and the cross fly arm does not taper, so that it occupies a half of the width at the fly.
Santiago Dotor, 27 January 2000