But England doesn't actually own the design of its flag. An ‘annual tribute’ for the use of the flag used to be paid to the Italian city of Genoa, but those payment stopped around 250 years ...

"Signor Christopher Columbus of Genoa had discovered the coast of ... to cross the Atlantic and plant a flag for England. Cabot sailed from Bristol on May 2, 1497 on a single ship, christened ...

The northern Italian port city, famously known as Christopher Columbus's birthplace, has long-standing ties with England ... the emblem of Genoa FC features the English flag.