1 Major Faux Pas Happened During King Charles and Queen Camilla's Visit to Arlington Cemetery
King Charles spent a whirlwind four days in the United States before heading off to Bermuda for his first visit to a U.K. overseas territory since becoming monarch in 2022. He and Queen Camilla's schedules were packed with events, and during their visit to Arlington Cemetery, one major faux pas happened.
Charles, 77, and Camilla, 78, bid farewell to President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on April 30 and headed to Arlington, Virginia, to visit one of the most significant sites of military remembrance. The monarch and queen consort laid a wreath and a posy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While they honored fallen members of the military with the act, it was also a gesture of unity between the US and the U.K.
However, the Union Jack flag paraded behind Charles and Camilla during the solemn event was flown upside down.
"In the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe, as Scotland's St. Andrew's Cross takes precedence over Ireland's St. Patrick's Cross," Britain's Flag Institute wrote, explaining the proper way to fly the Union Jack.
The institute noted it's "most improper to fly the flag upside down."
The Arlington Cemetery incident wasn't the only flag snafu to happen while Charles and Camilla were stateside. A few days before the royal couple arrived in Washington, D.C., ABC News reporter James Longman said Australian flags were briefly flown alongside American flags on the light posts along a busy road in the nation's capital.
"For about two hours, they put the Australian flag up alongside the Stars and Stripes … I think they realized their mistake, and they've replaced them now with the Union Jack," Longman said in a video shared to Instagram on April 24.
An official confirmed to The Washington Examiner that the mistake was "quickly" fixed along 17th Street NW near the Eisenhower Executive Building.
While there were some oversights on the details, Charles and Camilla's visit overall went smoothly. They attended a number of events in D.C., Virginia, and New York City. Charles also made a historic speech in front of Congress, making him only the second British sovereign in history to do so, after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991.
Charles spoke about the "indispensable partnership" between the United Kingdom and America during his April 28 address.
"The challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone. But in this unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or assume that foundational principles simply endure," the monarch said, per AP. "We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must build on it."
Charles pointed to the "common ideals" of the countries, which have been on opposing sides of several issues as of late, including the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Iranian conflict.
"The rule of law: the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice. These features created the conditions for centuries of unmatched economic growth in our two countries," Charles continued. "This is why our governments are concluding new economic and technology agreements – to write the next chapter of our joint prosperity and ensure that British and American ingenuity continues to lead the world."
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 8:13 PM.