Royal Standard: The significance of the flag draped on Queen Elizabeth II's coffin

LONDON -

Queen Elizabeth II's coffin left Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sunday, as it begins its journey to her final resting place.

The hearse carrying the coffin slowly departed Balmoral Castle, travelling through Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, making its way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh where it will remain until Monday afternoon.

It is the first time the late monarch’s coffin has been seen in public since she died on Thursday.

The coffin will be flown to London on Tuesday ahead of the state funeral on Monday, Sept. 19.

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Accompanied by her daughter, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, which is made of oak, left Balmoral draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and featured a wreath of white flowers on top.

According to the Royal Family, the Royal Standard represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom.

The Royal Standard has taken on various forms since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, and most Commonwealth nations, including Canada, have their own version of the flag.

The present flag – known as the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom -- is divided into four quarters: England is represented by three gold lions in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland is shown via a red rampant lion in the second quarter, and a harp represents Ireland in the third quarter.

In Scotland, a different version of the Royal Standard is used, with Scottish arms in the first and fourth quarters and English arms in the second -- this is the one draped on Queen Elizabeth II's coffin amid its journey to Edinburgh.

Once the coffin arrives Tuesday in London, the Royal Standard of Scotland will be replaced with the Royal Standardof the United Kingdom.In Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state for four days starting Wednesday, the coffin will be topped with the Imperial State Crown; the Sovereign's Orb, to represent the Christian world; and the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, representing authority.

The Royal Standard flag is typically flown when the monarch is in residence at one of the Royal Palaces, on the monarch's car on official journeys and aircraft while on the ground.

It may also be flown on any building, official or private, during a visit by the monarch upon request.

Unlike the Union flag, the Royal Standard is never flown at half mast, even after the death of a monarch as there is always a Sovereign on the throne.

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King Charles III was formally proclaimed sovereign of the United Kingdom on Saturday in a pomp-filled accession ceremony.

The 73-year-old, who spent seven decades as heir apparent, automatically became King when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died, however, the accession ceremony is a key constitutional and ceremonial step to present the new monarch to the country.

Similar proclamations are following across the U.K. and the Commonwealth nations of which King Charles III is now head of state, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.