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The Flag of Wales, known as Y Ddraig Goch or the Red Dragon, featuring a striking red dragon passant on a green and white field, stands as the proud national symbol of this constituent nation of the United Kingdom, officially adopted in 1959 by royal decree.
The Wales Flag displays a large red dragon centered on a horizontal bi-colour of white and green, with an aspect ratio of 3:5 and Pantone® colours White, Green 354, and Red 186. Queen Elizabeth II certified its adoption in February 1959 via royal decree, establishing it as the national flag with the UK design code UNKG0102.
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A short-lived 1953 version featured the dragon on a green mound within a ribbon inscribed with “Y ddraig goch ddry cychwyn” (‘The red dragon advances’), but this was replaced due to derision over the downward-pointing tail and the motto’s potential double entendre, referencing a line from a poem by Deio ab Ieuan Du about a copulating bull.
The flag flies prominently from the Senedd in Cardiff, Welsh Government buildings, and UK Government buildings in Wales, symbolizing national pride. Several Welsh cities, including Cardiff, the capital, incorporate a dragon into their flag designs.
Historical Roots
Ancient Origins
The red dragon emblem traces back to the reign of Cadwaladr, king of Gwynedd around 655 CE, and was used by Romanised Celtic Britons as early as the 6th century AD following the fall of the Roman Empire. During Roman rule in Britain, a vexilloid resembling a windsock with a pole-mounted metal head, possibly of Persian origin, was introduced; carried in battle, its silk body moved lifelike in the air, and a whistle in the head emitted a scream to intimidate enemies. This “Red Dragon” became a symbol for local rulers, including King Arthur and the Wessex Saxon kings, with King Harold II falling under it at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Medieval and Tudor Legacy
The Historia Brittonum, written around 828, narrates Vortigern, King of the Celtic Britons from Powys, discovering two dragons beneath Dinas Emrys, as advised by Merlin/Ambrosius; a red dragon represented the Celtic Britons (now Welsh), and a white dragon symbolized the Anglo-Saxons, with Merlin prophesying the Britons’ reclamation of the island.
The dragon, verifiably red in this text, symbolized independence and a deliverer from Saxon dominance, possibly referenced earlier in Y Gododdin. The Mabinogion’s story of Lludd a Llefelys also depicts the red dragon opposing the Saxon white dragon.
Welsh rulers, dubbed Y Mab Darogan (‘The prophesied Son’), used the dragon to link themselves to Arthurian legend, including Owain Gwynedd, whom poet Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr called “The golden dragon of Snowdonia of eagles,” Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last), and Owain Glyndŵr, known as “the dragon.”
In 1400, Owain Glyndŵr raised Y Ddraig Aur (‘The Golden Dragon’), a golden dragon on a white background, during his revolt against English occupation, notably at the Battle of Tuthill in 1401 over Caernarfon.
The Tudor dynasty, established in 1485 by Henry VII, a Welsh descendant, adopted the red dragon as a symbol, flying it during his invasion from Milford Haven to the Battle of Bosworth Field, where he defeated Richard III. Henry carried the red dragon standard to St Paul’s Cathedral, later adding the Tudor livery of green and white, which became the flag’s background colours.
Symbolism and Cultural Significance
National Identity
The red dragon represents Welsh independence and resilience, rooted in the Celtic Britons’ resistance against Anglo-Saxon invaders, as depicted in Merlin’s prophecy. The green and white field reflects the Tudor family’s colours, linking the flag to Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth in 1485.
The dragon’s non-standardised depiction in law allows artistic flexibility, embodying the Welsh term draig (‘dragon’), used historically for leaders like Owain Gwynedd, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, and Owain Glyndŵr.
Controversies and Advocacy
In 1807, the red dragon on a green mount was adopted as the Royal Badge of Wales, forming the basis for a flag in 1911 when Edward VIII was invested as Prince of Wales. Between 1910 and 1916, Caernarfon town council, led by Mayor Charles A. Jones, appealed to hoist the Welsh flag on Caernarfon Castle’s Eagle Tower instead of the Union Jack, but authorities rejected the request, claiming “there was no such thing as a Welsh flag.. it was only a badge.”
In 1932, the Welsh Nationalist Party (later Plaid Cymru) pushed for the Welsh flag on St David’s Day, but the Office of Works ignored the request; Welsh patriots, including 30–40 students, replaced the Union Jack with the Welsh flag on the Eagle Tower, though officials restored the Union flag, and the students later tore it apart in the castle square, prompting tension with ex-servicemen.
Modern Recognition
The flag’s official recognition in 1959, urged by the Gorsedd of Bards, marked a pivotal moment, replacing the 1953 version criticized for its motto and design flaws. The current flag, with its bold red dragon on a white-over-green field, symbolizes Wales’ enduring heritage and national pride, distinct from the Union Jack, under which it is flown subordinately as a constituent unit of the UK.
Conclusion
The Flag of Wales, Y Ddraig Goch, with its iconic red dragon on a green and white field, embodies centuries of Welsh history, from Cadwaladr’s 7th-century reign to Henry VII’s Tudor victory and Owain Glyndŵr’s golden dragon standard, officially recognized in 1959 as a symbol of national identity and independence. Flying proudly across Cardiff and beyond, it remains a dynamic plightful testament to Wales’ cultural and historical legacy.
