Local DC government workers replace the Australian flag with the Union Jack along 17th Street, next to the White House.
Photo: AFP / ANDREW LEYDEN
By Kanishka Singh, Reuters
The District of Columbia mistakenly placed several Australian flags, instead of British flags, near the White House for King Charles’ US visit, although the error was quickly corrected, a DC Department of Transportation official said.
Charles is also the head of state for Australia, but the role is largely ceremonial.
Fifteen Australian flags were briefly included among more than 230 flags on display to welcome the British king, when he arrives in the US capital on Monday (local time).
They were later replaced with the British flag, the official said.
Charles’ state visit, to mark the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from British rule, is widely seen as the most high-profile trip of his reign so far.
The trip will aim to shore up the two allies’ “special relationship”, which has sunk to its lowest point in 70 years, amid strains surrounding the Iran war.
– Reuters