Washington, D.C. briefly rolled out the wrong welcome mat for King Charles III after flying flags near the White House that weren’t the British flag.
Photos shared on X on Friday showed Australian flags lining 17th Street, near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where public works crews had decked out light posts ahead of next week’s royal visit.
Instead of the Union Jack, passersby were greeted with Australia’s flag, a detail that might be technically defensible—Charles is also Australia’s head of state—but not diplomatically ideal.
“We posted those flags, but it was quickly rectified, and we were able to remove them,” a Department of Transportation official told The Washington Examiner.
The visit comes at a delicate moment for U.S.-U.K. relations, following friction over the war in Iran and ongoing trade threats from President Donald Trump.
In a media interview, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was frustrated with global instability driven by leaders like Trump.
“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump,” he said.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will spend four days in the U.S., beginning with a private meeting at the White House with Trump and a public address to Congress.
Trump told the BBC the visit could “absolutely” help repair ties between the two countries.
“He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely, the answer is yes,” Trump said.
“I know him well. I’ve known him for years.”
The trip coincides with the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence, adding a layer of symbolism to a visit aimed at reinforcing ties between the two allies.
Washington routinely lines major corridors near the White House and federal buildings with the flags of visiting nations, a long-standing show of respect and alliance.
The mix-up appears to have been logistical, not geopolitical, with officials telling the Examiner the flags are typically stored and labeled. The exact way the error occurred is now under review.
The error was confined to a single stretch of road and did not affect other parts of the city, where British flags have been successfully installed ahead of Charles’ arrival.
Still, the brief mix-up underscored how even minor logistical errors can cut against the carefully managed symbolism of a high-stakes diplomatic welcome.
