In celebration of Bermuda Day, two Bermuda flags proudly flew at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on King Charles Street and Parliament Square.

[Pictured: UK Representative Kimberley Durrant, centre, with Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Speaker of the House of Commons]

Via Parliament.uk :

” The flag of this archipelago which lies in the North Atlantic 650 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the US, tells the story of its discovery in 1609.

The coat of arms first granted in 1635 features the red lion which is a British symbol, reiterating the island’s affiliation with the United Kingdom. The crest features the Sea Venture, the flagship of a seven-ship fleet which set sail on 2 June that year from Plymouth en route to Jamestown Virginia, when it hit a storm and was eventually ship-wrecked off the coast of Bermuda. All 150 people were able to reach shore safely, at what they later named Discovery Bay.

‘Quo fata ferunt’ means ‘Whither the fates carry us.’ The Latin text did not appear on the original flag but was added at a later date.

Kimberley Durrant, Bermuda’s representative to the UK, said: “The Bermuda flag represents a true pride for Bermuda as we are foremost proud to be Bermudians.

“We celebrate Bermuda day on the last Friday of May with a half-marathon in the morning, and a parade in the afternoon, with floats, majorettes and our traditional Gombey dancers.”