More than two centuries after the Boston Tea Party made tea a symbol of rebellion, an awkward cup in the White House was quietly brewing its own diplomatic moment.
Back in 1981, when King Charles was still the Prince of Wales, he visited Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office.
A tea quickly turned into an awkward moment when it arrived with the tea bag still inside.
Quite normal in the US, but for a British royal, not quite the done thing.
According to royal author David Charter, Reagan soon realized something was wrong.
The would-be king politely held the cup, clearly unsure of how to proceed, before finally setting it down untouched.
Reagan later admitted in his diary that he feared he had made a social misstep and wrote that he did not quite know how to recover from the moment.
Charles, for his part, reportedly admitted that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it either.
Just a few years later, in 1985, Charles returned to Washington with Princess Diana for their first visit to the United States together, this time without tea-related uncertainty overshadowing the proceedings.
Instead, the trip became one of the most memorable royal visits in modern history, with a glittering evening at the White House where Diana famously danced with John Travolta.
King Charles is preparing to return to the White House again, this time with Queen Camilla for a state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
