The flag incorporates the red dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, along with the Tudor colors of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, after which it was carried in state to St Paul’s Cathedral. The red dragon was then included as a supporter of the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognized as the Welsh national flag in 1959. Several cities include a dragon in their flag design, including Cardiff, the Welsh capital.
The United Kingdom would not recognize the flag’s official status until 1959, but the red dragon had been associated with Wales for at least a thousand years.
The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Green and white are also the colors of another national emblem of Wales, the leek.