Washington’s preparations for a royal welcome took an unexpected turn after a flag blunder briefly stole the spotlight from the upcoming visit by King Charles.
As crews decked the US capital in ceremonial colors ahead of the monarch’s arrival, officials were left red-faced when several Australian flags were mistakenly raised near the White House instead of the intended Union Jacks.
The failure reportedly involved about 15 flags installed along key areas close to the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The mix-up came amid large-scale preparations across Washington DC, where streets are lined with national flags ahead of the four-day state visit marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
While British and American flags were correctly placed along the main ceremonial routes, the inadvertent display of Australian banners on prominent lampposts quickly attracted attention.
Local transport authorities confirmed the error was fixed soon after it was discovered and the wrong flags were quickly removed once the problem was flagged.
The incident didn’t take long to spark a wave of online commentary, with social media users joking about the confusion and questioning how such a mix-up got through the planning stage.
Others pointed out the irony, noting that King Charles also has a separate constitutional role in Australia.
