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Luxembourg: Grand Duke's standard

Grand Duke's car flag
- Erroneous reports of the Grand Duke's car flag
Grand Duke's arms
Former Grand Duke's standard (1897-2000)
National mourning and funeral of Grand Duchesse Charlotte

Grand Duke's car flag

The Grand Duke's car flag (photo, as photographied in Trier (Germany) on 7 June 2005, is yellow with the Grand Duke's middle arms.

Jan Mertens, 4 December 2008

Erroneous reports of the Grand Duke's car flag

Proposal of Grand Duke's car flag - Image by Klaus-Michael Schneider, 11 March 2009

Several authors (for instance, Smith [smi75b], Barraclough & Crampton [c2b81] and Pedersen [ped80]) show a square blue flag with the lesser national arms with the Order of the Oaken Crown around it, and seven golden billets. According to Barraclough & Crampton, the flag was adopted soon after 1964; according to Pedersen, it is only used on means of transport.

Mark Sensen, 17 May 2002

According to a letter of the Maréchal de la cour grand-ducale (Archives Michel Lupant), this flag never existed and was only a proposal. It should never had been published, but someone published it and books subsequently copied out the image.
The late 1960s are also known for a Law proposal made by the heraldist Robert Matagne to officialize the emblems of Luxemburg, a law which was eventually adopted 1972. Probably the Grand Duke's car flag was an idea of Matagne or an other heraldist. I say probably, because there were also attempts to make Grand Duke Jean, enthroned in 1964, adopt an other personal coat of arms than the one from 1897. Such a new coat of arms was never adopted, and the blue car flag never existed.

Pascal Vagnat, 18 May 2002

Grand Duke's arms

Coat of arms of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 2001- (left, greater arms; middle, middle arms; right, lesser arms) - Images by Santiago Dotor, 20 May 2002

Grand Duke Henri adopted in 2001 the coat of arms proposed by heraldists in the 1960s. The new arms of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg were published in Mémorial, Journal Officiel du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg #114, 14 September 2001. The difference with the former arms is the swapping of the arms of Luxembourg proper (now in the first and fourth quarters) for the arms of Nassau (now in the second and third quarters).
It seems that there is no flag to represent the Grand Duke and that there won't be any.

Pascal Vagnat, 17 May 2002

On the above images, the lion is designed according to the "1993 pattern". See the discussion on that pattern.

Joseph McMillan, 14 February 2005

Former Grand Duke's standard (1897-2000)

Standard of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, 1897-2000 - Image by Željko Heimer, 17 May 2002

The Grand Duke's standard was adopted in 1897. With dimensions 22 x 28 cm, it shows on an orange background the middle coat of arms of the dynasty.
The coat of arms shown on this flag is stylised and doesn't look like the drawings of the Grand Duke's coat of arms shown in books.

Pascal Vagnat, 17 May 2002

National mourning and funeral of Grand Duchess Charlotte

Here is the official communique on the national mourning:

Communiqué
Deuil national à la suite du décès de S.A.R. la Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte
10-01-2005
A la suite du décès de Son Altesse Royale la Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte de Luxembourg, le gouvernement a proclamé le deuil national à observer jusqu'au samedi 15 janvier 2005 à 18 heures.
Durant le deuil national, les drapeaux seront mis en berne sur les bâtiments et lieux publics.
(communiqué par le ministère d'Etat).

Unofficial translation:

Communique
National mourning following the decease of HRA Grand Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte
10-01-2005
Following the decease of HRH Grand Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, the government has proclaimed national mourning until Saturday 15 January 2005, 18:00.
During the national mourning, the flags shall be half-staffed on the public buildings and places.
(forwarded by the State Ministery).

Ivan Sache, 20 January 2005

Pictures from the funeral ceremony (AFP) shows the Grand Duchess' coffin draped in a flag I cannot identify accurately.

Ivan Sache, 16 January 2005

My impression is that the cloth covering the coffin resembles the Luxembourg ensign except that the upper and lower bands, white and light blue respectively, were quite thick.

Jan Oskar Engene, 16 January 2005

I suspect that this is not intended to be the civil ensign as such but rather a pall of the arms of the Grand Duchy. The civil ensign is, of course, a banner of these same arms, but as the Grand Duchess was not a merchant sailor, I imagine it is for the arms rather than the flag's role in the merchant marine that it is used.

Joseph McMillan, 16 January 2005