Flag of Scotland

What the flag of Scotland looks like

The flag of Scotland has a blue background crossed by a white X-shaped cross that reaches the corners. In heraldry this diagonal cross is called a saltire, which is why the flag is known as the Saltire. The usual proportions are 3:5.

The shade of blue has varied over the centuries, from light sky blue to dark navy. Since 2003 the Scottish Government has recommended Pantone 300, a mid-to-bright blue, as the standard color for the national flag, though many flags are made in other shades. The white is plain. The Saltire is a very simple design with no emblem, and it is the basis of the flag of Nova Scotia (with the colors reversed) and one of the three crosses in the Union Flag. See the Scotland flag emoji for the small version.

Scotland flag meaning and symbolism

The white cross is the cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. According to tradition, Andrew was an apostle who was martyred at Patras in Greece on an X-shaped cross, and this is why the X shape is linked to him. The blue is often said to represent the sky, in the legend of the flag's origin.

The best-known story is set in the 9th century. King Óengus (Angus) of the Picts, or in some tellings his army, was about to face an English-led force near Athelstaneford in East Lothian. During the night before the battle they prayed, and in the morning they saw a white cloud forming a diagonal cross against a blue sky. They took it as a sign of Saint Andrew's help, and won the battle. A later version of the story dates it to the year 832. It is a legend and is not supported by contemporary evidence, but Athelstaneford calls itself the birthplace of the flag, and has a Flag Heritage Centre.

History of the Scottish flag

Saint Andrew became associated with Scotland in the Middle Ages, and his cross appears on Scottish seals from the late 13th century. In 1385 the Scottish Parliament ordered that Scottish soldiers fighting alongside the French wear a white St Andrew's cross on the front and back of their clothes, so they could be told apart from the English. A blue flag with a white saltire is recorded from the early 16th century, and by the 1500s it was used as a national flag.

When James VI of Scotland became king of England in 1603, the Saltire was combined with the English cross of Saint George in the first Union Flag of 1606. The Saltire has been one of its elements ever since, along with the red saltire of Saint Patrick, added in 1801 for Ireland. The Scottish flag remained in use in Scotland after the Acts of Union in 1707, especially by the Scots on ships and at public events. Today, the Saltire flies from official buildings and Scottish Government rules say that it should be raised every day on its main buildings, except on days when another flag is specified.

Saint Andrew's Day on 30 November is Scotland's official national day, and it is a flag day.

The Lion Rampant and the Royal Banner of Scotland

Scotland is often said to have two flags. The second is the Royal Banner of Scotland, also called the Lion Rampant: a yellow field with a red lion standing on its hind legs and surrounded by a double border decorated with fleurs-de-lis. It has been the arms of the Scottish monarchs since the 12th century. Its use is controlled by the Lord Lyon, the official in charge of heraldry in Scotland, and is formally limited to the monarch and a few officials.

That is why people say that flying the Lion Rampant is illegal. In practice, the 1672 Act regulating the use of royal arms in Scotland is rarely enforced against private individuals, and the Lion Rampant is commonly seen at football matches and festivals. The Saltire is the national flag, and the Lion Rampant is a royal banner. The unicorn is also linked to Scotland as a heraldic animal: two unicorns hold the shield on the royal arms of Scotland, but there is no unicorn flag.