Description
We are proud to offer the Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Personal Standard, an historically important showpiece of Imperial German Royalty, at Der Rittmeister. This is the exceedingly rare GROSSER size (10 feet by 9 feet) of the Kaiser’s personal Standard, flown from his Imperial Yacht Hohenzollern II during his official state visit to Great Britain in 1907. The Standard was hoisted upon entry into Portsmouth, England, to large crowds and a Royal Navy escort. Shortly after the visit, the Kaiser presented the flag to Baron Montagu, who hosted the Kaiser at Beaulieu, the Baron’s Palace House. The flag has been on display at the Palace House Museum for the last 100 years.
The Standard is a large square heavy cotton nautical flag, measuring exactly 285 x 302 cms., bearing a large Iron Cross to the centre, and in each golden quarter the chain and eagles of his Black Eagle Order, with a golden shield surmounted by golden Hohenzollern Crown, inscribed: GOTT MIT UNS 1870. The enforced edge has rope ties and a wooden toggle to the top. It was used to signal his presence on board the Imperial Yacht, and was often subjected to weather and hard nautical use. Therefore, this minty specimen, which was used only once and then gifted by the Kaiser, is a very special piece, both in size and condition.
The provenance of the Standard can be traced back to Kaiser Wilhelm II, who used the Imperial Yacht from 1893 to July 1914. The Hohenzollern II was launched on 27 June 1892, and the Kaiser spent a total of over four years on board. In June 1914, the yacht attended the Regatta at Kiel, where the last state banquet was held on board before war broke out. In 1918, the ship became the property of the Weimar Republic, and was scrapped in 1923.
The Kaiser’s state visit to Great Britain in 1907 was his attempt to win friends and avert the global war that would erupt in 1914. The visit was because Great Britain, France, and Russia had just signed the Triple Entente in August, and the Kaiser was feeling isolated. This flag represents the Kaiser’s attempts to win friends and influence people, with the aim of preventing Germany from becoming isolated among the power blocs of Europe.
Montagu had been host to Wilhelm II at Beaulieu, when he had the doubtful privilege of gaining a personal impression of the German Emperor’s arrogance and egotism. Montagu committed a social gaffe by wearing casual clothes, which the Emperor considered inappropriate. While the Kaiser was thrilled to receive this full state visit during the reign of his uncle Edward VII in 1907, his relations with Britain soured shortly after when the Daily Telegraph published the Kaiser’s interview, which was widely considered to be insulting to the British.
The Standard has been on display at the Palace House Museum in Beaulieu, which is now home to the National Motor Museum and other attractions.
