King Charles‘ US state visit ended in bizarre fashion as the Union Flag was flown upside down during the farewell event. Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone, posting on X, said: “Rather a diplomatic gaff by the Americans here. The Union flag is upside down at the Arlington Cemetery event.”
The apparent gaffe is not the first flag blunder of the tour. Washington DC officials accidentally displayed 15 Australian flags alongside British and American banners in preparation for the monarch’s visit.
The mix-up occurred near the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, likely due to the visual similarities between the two flags, as both feature the Union Jack in the upper-left corner.
Social media users were quick to poke fun at the logistical oversight, though some pointed out the irony that the flags weren’t technically incorrect, given that the King serves as Australia’s ceremonial head of state.
The DC Department of Transportation moved swiftly to correct the error, removing the Australian flags shortly after they were spotted.
The reason the Union Flag appears asymmetrical is due to a heraldic process called counterchanging, which was used to combine the flags of Scotland and Ireland without one appearing superior to the other.
When the red saltire of Ireland’s St Patrick’s Cross was added to the white saltire of Scotland’s St. Andrew’s Cross, designers split the diagonal lines so that the white and red halves take turns being on top.
Because of this alternating pattern, the wider white border must always be positioned above the red stripe in the upper quadrant nearest the flagpole (the hoist).
If the thinner white strip is on top, the “pinwheel” effect is reversed, signalling that the flag is flying upside down.
The King and Queen arrived in the US capital on April 27, 2026, for a high-profile four-day state visit hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
The historic trip marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and includes major events such as a grand state dinner and a rare address by the King to a joint meeting of Congress.
Spanning Washington, New York, and Virginia, the tour sought to emphasise the “Special Relationship” through ceremonies that blend traditional British protocol with American milestone celebrations.