Washington D.C. officials briefly displayed the wrong national flag ahead of King Charles III’s visit next week, after district public works crews mistakenly installed Australian flags instead of the Union Jack along a stretch of 17th Street NW near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
A D.C. Department of Transportation official told the Washington Examiner that the mix-up was limited to light posts in that area and was quickly corrected once identified.
“We posted those flags, but it was quickly rectified, and we were able to remove them,” the official said, adding that crews moved swiftly to replace them with the correct British flags.
The agency said the flags are typically stored and labeled, but officials are now reviewing how the error occurred.
“They’re kept in a storage room and they are labeled,” the spokesperson said, noting the department is looking into whether the flags were placed in the wrong box or mislabeled.
The incident comes as Washington prepares for the high-profile visit, with streets around the National Mall adorned with Union Jack.
Washington routinely installs foreign flags along major corridors near the White House and federal office buildings during state visits and other high-level diplomatic events, a long-standing practice meant to honor visiting leaders and signal the significance of the occasion.
WHEN CHARLES III MEETS KING DONALD
King Charles III is expected to participate in a series of official engagements in Washington, including meetings with President Donald Trump and ceremonial events tied to the long-standing alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom.
DC DOT emphasized that the error was isolated to the 17th Street NW area and did not affect other areas of the city.