The British flag has been lowered outside the European Parliament in Brussels
A small crowd waited outside the Parliament building for the Union flag to be removed from the row of 28 member states.
At 8pm local time – four hours before the UK officially left- a small procession of EU staff approached the flagpole.
In silence they lowered the Union flag and replaced it with the Stars of the EU.
Within a matter of minutes it looked as if it had been there the whole time.
Police moved to close the road around half an hour before the ceremony.
After being removed from the pole, the Union flag was neatly folded and carried away, ready to be installed in the House of European History.
A group of newly redundant assistants to the UK’s MEPs attended sporting their commemorative UK/EU scarves.
There was a small cheer as the lowering mechanism got briefly stuck, with one onlooker joking: “It means you have to Remain.”
It was a three-man job to lower the flag and stop it flying away in the breeze as it was unhooked, before it was neatly folded up.
The flag is due to be placed in the House of European History in Brussels, a spokesman for the European Parliament said.
The British flag from the foyer of the parliament had been removed by mid-afternoon on Friday, while the flag from inside the European Council was also taken down on Friday evening.
The Union flag was also removed from the European Council building in Brussels, where national leaders gather for their regular summit.
Two officials removed the flag from its pole and carefully folded it away.
