Why is the Union Jack, Red, White and Blue?

The Union Jack is red, white and blue because it takes the colours from Ireland, Scotland and England flags. It has the crosses from St George- horizontal red cross (Patron Saint of England), St Patrick- diagonal red cross (Patron Saint of Ireland) and St Andrew- blue background and diagonal white cross (Patron Saint of Scotland).You might think where is Wales in the flag? It is not included because at the time the Union Jack was created in 1801, Wales was a part of England.

Many of the common wealth countries (used to belong the British Empire) like Australia and New Zealand have the Union Jack in their flag.

Believe it or not, there is a right and a wrong way to hang the flag. It is not symmetrical. As you can see from the picture, the diagonal red line running from left to right should have a thicker white line on top than the bottom.

Unlike America, there are not special rules on how to dispose of a flag. There aren't specific ways to fold the flag and should it touch the ground no one flinches like in the States. Take a look at the other things in the United States Flag Code

To find out more about the Union Jack and its history, click here.