Why does the flag of Hawaii have the Union Jack (of Great Britian) in the top Corner?

There are various accounts of the earliest history of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi. One relates how King Kamehameha I flew a Union Flag given to him by British explorer Captain George Vancouver as a token of friendship with King George III. An advisor to Kamehameha noted that the Union Flag could draw Hawaiʻi into international conflict as it would be seen as an ally of the United Kingdom. Kamehameha lowered the Union Flag from his home. While disputed as historically accurate, one account of events that followed stated that in order to placate American interests during the War of 1812, a flag of the United States was raised over Kamehameha's home only to be removed when British officers in the court of Kamehameha vehemently objected to it. This account then explains why the resulting flag of Hawaiʻi was a deliberate hybrid of the two nations' flags. Another reason for this may be that during the time of Pacific Expansion (Manifest Destiny) in the United States, and when Hawaiʻi was taken over for a day by the United Kingdom, it was made to show that Hawaiʻi was a country, and put both emblems of the flags into one, showing that Hawaiʻi would not be taken over.

Flag of the governor of HawaiʻiIn 1816, Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid conflict. As a result, Ka Hae Hawaiʻi was born. Historians attribute the design of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi to an officer of the Royal Navy, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the name of the officer. Some traditions credit Alexander Adams, others George Beckley. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating red-white-blue, also attributed to various historical flags of the United Kingdom. However, some have argued that the stripes were influenced by the American flag. In error, the flag used at the first official flying of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi ordered the stripes white-red-blue. The number of stripes also changed: originally, the flag was designed with seven horizontal stripes, and in 1845 it was officially changed to eight stripes. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today.

The first two nations to officially recognize Ka Hae Hawaiʻi for official international use were the United Kingdom and France. The United States and Japan followed.

Hawaii was once an independent kingdom. (1810 - 1893) The flag was designed at the request of King Kamehameha I. It has eight stripes of white, red and blue that represent the eight main islands. The flag of Great Britain is emblazoned in the upper left corner to honor Hawaii's friendship with the British.

It was also known as the "Sandwich Islands" (while it was still under British rule) when it was first discovered by James Cook in 1778. The archipelago (any form/group of islands) was its own independent nation from 1810-1893 (when the government was overthrown).