Ahead of King Charles III of the United Kingdom's first state visit to the United States, arranged with difficulty amid a diplomatically sensitive moment, British and Australian flags ended up being hung together near the White House.
On the 25th (local time), according to The Times and others, a U.S. Department of Transportation official said the mistake occurred the previous day during the installation of flag decorations in Washington, D.C.
More than 230 British flags were raised near the White House to welcome Charles III's visit. The problem was that 15 Australian flags were hung along with British flags in the process. U.S. officials said they later replaced the Australian flags with British ones.
Charles III is scheduled to pay a state visit to the United States from the 27th to the 30th. The visit comes at the advice of the British government and at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, and is meant to commemorate the two countries' history and modern ties on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, Buckingham Palace said.
This is Charles III's first state visit to the United States. However, within the United Kingdom, some argue that the king's trip to the United States is inappropriate. Following the Trump administration's display of ambitions to annex Greenland, a Danish territory, and as it drags the war with Iran into a prolonged conflict, an awkward diplomatic mood has formed. In this situation, criticism has emerged over whether there was any need to visit the United States.
Charles III is recognized as king or head of state in 14 Commonwealth nations, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. However, he mainly serves a symbolic role and does not intervene in the actual governance of each country.