Original Item: Only One Available. This is a rather fantastic Imperial German flag! This flag is the Standarte des Königlichen Hauses (Standard of the Royal House), often called the “Standard for Other Members of the Royal Family” as used from 1858 to 1918. Flags and standards derive from the need to identify which side of the war one was with during military conflict and many carry the coat of arms of the person under whose name one was fighting, in this case the Prussian Coat of Arms is present. Flags were also used for communication before electronic means could be used; and they are used to identify individual countries.

Standards, however, are a type of flag used for personal identification and will only carry the coat of arms of its owner, such as the Royal Standard in the UK or the personal standard of any armiger. Hence, a standard is a type of flag but a flag isn't necessarily a standard. They are not necessarily triangular in shape nor hung with bunting on a ship.

This standard is for “Other Members” of the Royal Family, the House of Hohenzollern, who were not the King / Emperor, Queen, or Crown Prince. The German Emperor Wilhelm II had a younger brother with three sons, and had 6 children himself in addition to the Crown Prince. This was the standard that all of them were entitled to use. The only real difference between this standard and the Crown Prince Frederick standard is that this standard has a black outline around the central shield and not red like the Prince’s standard.

The flag features a red field with an Iron Cross shown. In the center of the Iron Cross, the Imperial Eagle with a crown right on top of the eagle is shown. Around the eagle and crown, words spell the phrase: GOTT MIT UNS, meaning: "God [is] with us". Around the central shield is the House Order of Hohenzollern. The House Order of Hohenzollern (Hausorden von Hohenzollern or Hohenzollernscher Hausorden) was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various versions of the order were crosses and medals which could be awarded to lower-ranking soldiers and civilians.

The standard retains the original label, which reads as follows:

J.E.W. Hellgardt
Hoflieferant Sr. Maj. d. K.uK.
Konigl. u. Grossherzogl. Hoflieferant
KONIGSBERG / PR.
Segeltuchwarer-u. Flaggen-Fabrik

This was a known manufacturer of flags and other fabric equipment from before WWI and into WWII but under a different name. Under the name is “Hoflieferant Sr. Maj. d. K.uK.”, which is partially abbreviated for “Hoflieferant Seiner Majestät des Kaisers und Königs”, which then translates to “official supplier to his Majesty the Emperor and King”.

The flag is in wonderful condition for the age, but there are a few issues to report. The standard was flown for many years and the condition reflects that. There are areas of material loss, tearing, fraying, holes and the likes as well as past repairs. Even with all of these factors, the flag still presents itself wonderfully and still has a clear image present.

A lovely standard that comes more than ready for further research and display.