St George’s Chapel Banners of Arms Hand-Painted by Flagmakers
If, like me, you tuned in to watch last weekend’s much-anticipated Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, then you too would have been awe-struck by the impact created by union flag lined streets and the magnificent interior of St George’s Chapel, in which the couple were married; truly spectacular, utterly remarkable and every bit an appropriate venue for the special occasion.
The Gothic-style chapel, established at Windsor Castle in the 14th century comes under the direct jurisdiction of The Queen and is the chapel of the Order of the Garter. The chapel is the Mother Church of the Order, whose members attend a special service here every June. Their heraldic banners are those we all saw hanging above the upper choir stalls, where they have a seat for life. In vexillology and heraldry, a Heraldic Flag (banner) will contain a Coat of Arms, Heraldic Badge or Device.
Those on display in St George’s Chapel are Banners of Arms, also known as Banners of Knights, each five feet square and each bearing the complete coat of arms of its owner and member of the Order of the Garter. We watched as Meghan walked up the aisle surrounded by the impressive Gothic architecture of the chapel, the tall stained-glass windows, the many friends and family seated either side, the beautiful flowers and of course those stunning banners, which, like the flowers, added so much colour and contributed to the overall atmosphere on the day. Here are four of the flags which could be seen on the wedding day.
But most importantly, for us anyway, is that Flagmakers are very proud to have been commissioned to produce some of the hand made and hand-painted banners on display at the chapel. We are occasionally approached by members of the Order of the Garter to commission banners for them which represent their coats of arms and our work is appreciated. We are not only privileged to be given this work but will always rise to the challenge and produce a quality product, itself a work of art, accurately interpreting the original design and ensuring the banner will last many years.
Flagmakers have the best facilities and skilled artisans required to produce hand-painted flags and banners. You can read more about our Hand painted flags and banners here. Finally, we would like to congratulate the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a spectacular wedding and wish them every success for their future.
