Historical Royal Flags (Denmark)

Erik (VII) of Pomerania (originally Bugislav), a great-nephew of Queen Margrethe I, was appointed as her successor in 1387. He became king of Norway in 1389, and elected king in Denmark and Sweden in 1396. In 1397, he was crowned as king of all three countries. He withdrew to Gotland in 1436, and was ousted in Denmark and Sweden in 1439, in Norway in 1441. He kept Gotland after resigning and lived there a-pirating in the Baltic Sea 1442-49. In 1449 he ceded the island to Denmark and moved to Pomerania, where he died in 1459.

The flag (or rather ensign) was lost in war in 1427 and hung in the Marienkirche in Lübeck, where it was destroyed in an air raid in WW2.
Ole Andersen, 17 May 2002

Royal Standard reported 1889

The standard was a Dannebrog split flag with Greater Arms on a white panel shifted to hoist. The version of the Coat of Arms (1819 - 1903) (see here) was used by the following kings:
- Frederik 6 (1808 - 1839) since 1819
- Christian 8 (1839 - 1848)
- Frederik 7 (1848 - 1863)
- Christian 9 (1863 - 1906) until 1903
Source: Service Hydrographique Paris 1889, plate 13, image 1
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Aug 2025

Royal Standard reported 1905

The standard was a Dannebrog split flag with Greater Arms on a white panel shifted to hoist. The version of the Coat of Arms (1903 - 1948) (see here) was used by the following kings:
- Christian 9 (1863 - 1906) since 1903
- Frederik 8 (1906 - 1912)
- Christian 10 (1912 - 1947)
- Frederik 9 (1947 - 1948)
Source: "Danske Flag og Kommandotegn", Kbenhavn 1905, plate 1
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Aug 2025

The Royal Standard of King Frederik 9 of Denmark (1947-1972)

Comparing the Danish Arms of 1948 with the Arms of King Frederik as shown in Politikens Flagbog (2nd ed.)
- The book depicts the crowns in the image with sides that rise almost vertical then bend outward nearer the top, rather than like the crowns on stylised Swedish arms which angle out immediately (in some images in an angle as wide as 135 degrees).
- Since this is also valid for the crowns on the heads of the lions, and since the book shows their tails only coiling to the front as far as the middle of their hips, there's are gap between each lion´s head and tail wide enough to place a heart. The pattern for the heart then becomes: One in front, and one behind and one directly above each lion; the one above slightly higher than the outer ones. Since this is the same for the State arms, as drawn for official use byAage Wulff in 1991 depicted on the same page, I guess this is the current style.
- All three shields in the arms of King Frederik are in the old Hungarian style, as in the electronic image of the flag of Queen Ingrid, although with a small tip at the base. Since each takes up slightly more than a third of each dimension of the shield below it, the middle shield covers a heart and one leg and the tail of a lion (touching the middle heart in that row, and the hind one in the middle row), the lower paw and most of the body of a lion in the quarter beside it, two arcs/leaves of a crown in one lower quarter, and a heart and most of a second one and a lion´s front paws and almost its complete head in the other. The top shield is depicted doing little more than touch the charges of the middle shield, except where it hides almost the entire leg of the swan. (Those charges, btw, are depicted in grey, rather than the white used in the lower dexter quarter.)
- In the book all lions have the same posture, the ones in the upper sinister quarter are merely stretched a bit vertically to fill the space.
- Delmenhorst is shown with a latin cross, rather than a symmetrical one. The same cross (in the same colours) is also displayed on the oval shield of the Dithmarschen knight. The Lauenburg horse head is depicted rotated slightly forward; face not so high and the bottom line not horizontal.
- In the book the wyvern has a field with the same area as the lion above it. Since it's in the base of the shield this means its field is slightly more than half the heigth, but not as much as in the electronic image. (The division in the quarter beside it matches this division.)
- Finally: The sheep is depicted standing (though on all fours) rather than going, while the bear is depicted mostly like a standing brown bear that happens to be white. It has a slightly mouse-like head, which the pixel devil seems to have dealt to the bear in the electronic image as well. (-:

The royal standard had the usual pattern, a splitflag with the Greater Arms (see here) on a white square in centre of the cross.
The arms basically were the same as the preceding ones. There was only one change. The 3rd quarter of the main shield was parted per fess, above Azure three coronets Or ordered 2:1, beneath parted per pale, at dexter Azure a ram statant Argent armed Or and at sinister Azure a polar bear rampant Argent armed Or.
Meaning:
Frederik 9 ascended the throne in 1947. One year later he changed the arms and removed the falcon, which had represented Iceland due to the dissolution of the personal union of Denmark and Iceland in 1944. The fields for the Faroe Islands (ram) and Greenland (polar bear) now filled completely the lower half of the 3rd quarter.
Source: Herzog / Wolf (1967), p.27
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Aug 2025

The Flag of Queen Ingrid of Denmark

Queen Ingrid´s flag was introduced 1948. In the white field, with a size of 32 parts in a flag of 56:107, is set the Royal Arms as they were in 1948, without orders and supporters, but with the Royal mantle and crown. The arms consist of three shields placed on top of each other:
Bottom shield: Quartered by the Cross of Dannebrog 1 Denmark, 2 Schleswig, 3 triparted Kalmar Union, Faeroes, Greenland, 4 per fess in chief Wends: Yellow wyvern on red, in base Goths: Blue lion over nine red hearts on yellow.
Middle shield: Quartered: 1 Holstein: White nettle leaf on red, 2 Stormarn: White swan on blue, 3 Dithmarschen: White mounted knight on red, 4 Lauenburg: Yellow horse head on red.
Top shield: Per pale, Dexter Oldenburg yellow two red bars, Sinister: Delmenhorst: Yellow cross on blue.

Comparing the arms of the two Queens Ingrid and Margrethe, we can see that Margrethe dropped the titles relating to the Wends, the Goths, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschien, Lauenburg and Delmenhorst.
Paige Herring 1998

Car Flag of Queen Ingrid

It is a white flag. In the centre of a red lozenge, not touching the edge, is a royal crown.
Source: Pedersen (1979a); p.165
Klaus-Michael Schneider; 7 Mar 2009

Flaggenbuch (1939) reported the Queen's standard to be the same as the Royal Standard, but with the lesser coat of arms. This is I presume for a non-ruling queen. Would such be in use nowadays for the non-ruling king? I suppose the difference may have been abolished in the modern time.
Željko Heimer, 29 May 2004

It iwas only a car flag to be fixed on the right front fender. It was approved by King Frederik 9 on 23 June 1948.
Source: Pedersen (1979a); p.166
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Aug 2025

Royal Standard of Queen Margrethe 2 (1972 - 2024)

Dannebrog with swallow-tail and the Royal arms set in the wdk_rstm2hite field in the centre of the cross. The centre square is 32 parts in a flag with the ratio 56:107. The current version of the flag for the ruling monarch was introduced on 16 November 1972 after Margrethe 2´s accession to the throne.

Margrethe 2 greatly simplified the Royal arms to reflect her much simplified title (she dropped a couple of mythical titles and the German titles too - some of which she did not inherit). The arms are now quartered by the Cross of Dannebrog, silver with red borders. In field 1 and 4 Denmark - three blue lions passant on a yellow field strewn with nine sea-leaves (formerly also depicted as hearts). Field 2 Schleswig (or South Jutland): Two blue lions passant on yellow. Field 3: Triparted, in chief Union: Three yellow crowns on blue (representing the Union of Kalmar, uniting Denmark, Norway and Sweden), dexter Faeroes: White ram on blue, sinister: Greenland: White polar bear on blue. Inescutcheon: Oldenburg: Two red bars on yellow. Supporters: Two wild men. Around the arms are the chains and insignia of the Order of Dannebrog and Order of the Elephant. The Royal mantle is surmounted by a Royal crown. This version of the Royal arms was introduced 16 November 1972.
Paige Herring 1998

Album des Pavillons (2000) describes this flag as the state flag with a white panel in the intersection of the cross of sides measuring 32 units (unit being 1/56 of hoist), on the panel the royal coat of arms. A note with the image explains that other members of the royal family use similar flags with the appropriate coats of arms on the panel.  The royal pennant consists of a white square at the hoist with the royal coat of arms and a triangular cut (i.e. trapezoidal) fly end of Dannebrog pattern.
A note with the figure explains that the appropriate coat of arms is set for other members of the royal family, the same as is the case with the standard, and another note explains that this pennant is ceremonial and not required.
Željko Heimer, 12 June 2001

The white panel used throughout the flags of this design is 32 units (when hoist is 56 units high).
Željko Heimer, 29 May 2004

The Flag of Prince Consort Henrik

A flag for the Prince Consort was introduced in 1972. In the white field, measuring 32 parts in a flag with a 56:107 ratio, the flag has the arms of the Prince as Knight of the Order of the Elephant: Quartered, 1 and 4 Denmark, 2 and 3 Arms of the Counts de Laborde de Monpezat: A gold lion rampant on a field of red with three five-pointed stars in the chief. Supporters: Two gold lions. The arms are set on a mantle surmounted by a princely crown with four arches, three of which are visible, and an elongated pearl on top.
Paige Herring 1998

HRH Prince Henric of Denmar was born asHenri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat in 1934 and died in 2018 in Fredensborg Castle.
Source: German WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 19 Aug 2025

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