The original flag of the Knights Hospitaller consisted of a white Maltese Cross on a black background, however this was never used in Malta. The only flag used in Malta in the time of the Knights consisted of a white symmetrical cross on a red field with the cross having a width of 1/5 the height of the flag - similar to the flag of England, colors reversed with a proportion of 5:3. It says that Malta switched flags with Denmark in the early days. The flag is still used by the Knights' modern successor, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.