Black decided to gain an official grant of arms to use on Hong Kong's flag. Designed in 1958 by Geoffrey Cadzow Hamilton, managing officer of the civil service, the flag was approved by the Executive Council of Hong Kong, and then by the College of Arms with minor amendments. The arms on the flag were designed with Chinese junks, a naval crown, and a lion and dragon as supporters, with a crowned lion crest on the helm holding a pearl; this was a reference to Hong Kong's nickname as the "Pearl of the Orient". Queen Elizabeth II granted a Royal Warrant for the coat of arms, which was presented to Governor Black by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen's Counsellors of State later gave permission on her behalf for the arms to be used on a blue ensign as the colony's flag. Ships registered in Hong Kong flew the Hong Kong blue ensign and were able to use the British red ensign as an identifier. The flag was used to represent Hong Kong in sports, including at the Olympic Games, although the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen", was used for gold medallists. The flag had no specific legal protections; there were no laws prohibiting desecration of the flag, despite it being Hong Kong's national flag. Following the planned transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, plans were drawn up in the 1990s for a new flag to replace the blue ensign. Following a public competition, a red flag with a bauhinia was chosen as the new flag of Hong Kong. This new flag gained formal legal status replacing the blue ensign at the handover on 1 July 1997. Post-handover Following the Hong Kong handover ceremony, when the Union Jack and the Hong Kong blue ensign were lowered to symbolise the end of British rule in Hong Kong, the blue ensign lost its official status and was replaced by the current flag of Hong Kong. In the 2010s, the former flag of Hong Kong was used by protesters to represent the cultural differences between Hong Kong and China; the flag was also used to protest against Chinese interference in Hong Kong, as well as perceived Chinese breaches of Hong Kong's universal suffrage (granted by the Sino-British Joint Declaration). The first high-profile use of the old flag in protests came in 2011 during pro-democracy protests. Protesters often stated that they