The White Ensign became the sole ensign of the Royal Navy in 1864. The Red Ensign was the obvious choice of ensign for the Royal Navy as it was the ensign of the senior squadron. However, merchant ships had always used the Red Ensign, and it would not have been practical to change that The White Ensign was next in seniority. The amateur of the the understanding of the matter of when and where it can be flown is that a British owned vessel that flies the White Ensign is committing a Statutory Offence and is liable to prosecution, unless it is operated by the Royal Navy or has a warrant to fly the White Ensign issued by the Ministry of Defence (Navy). Only vessels of the Royal Navy or the Royal Yacht Squadron (plus the Trinity House vessel 'Patricia' when escorting the Sovereign) are allowed to fly the White Ensign as sea or in harbour. The question of historic warrants for restored ships is still 'under consideration' but there is a great deal of reluctance in the MoD to grant such warrants. Members of the Royal Yacht Squadron are granted the privilege of flying the White Ensign, at stern, to denote nationality, on their recreational boats. The use of the White Ensign on land is a grey area as it is not clear what law, if any, is being broken. The White Ensign is used by some football fans, who write the name of the club they support along the horizontal arm of the St George's cross but there does not seem to be any attempt to prohibit this. In summing up though, the White Ensign seem to be for the exclusive use of the Royal Navy, and for private citizens to fly it on land is inappropriate, and at sea definitely illegal.