A diplomatic slip during King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s visit to the Arlington National Cemetery has gained traction after the British Union Jack was reportedly flown upside down during the ceremonial event.
The King and Queen paid their respects at one of the most important locations of military commemoration in the United States at the military cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, following their farewell to President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on April 30.
In remembrance of the fallen and the military alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, the royals placed a wreath and posy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
But the diplomatic blunder with the Union Jack flag during the parade was in spotlight.
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What went wrong with the Union Jack display?
Although only Northern Ireland has been a part of the United Kingdom since 1921, the Union Jack, commonly known as the Union Flag, joins the heraldic crosses of the kingdoms of England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, where King Charles rules.
According to Britain’s Flag Institute, the Union Jack must be displayed in a specific orientation. The wider diagonal stripe (representing Scotland’s St Andrew’s Cross) should be positioned above the red diagonal stripe (Ireland’s St Patrick’s Cross) on the side closest to the flagpole.
The institute said, “It is most improper to fly the flag upside down.”
However, at the Arlington Cemetary, in the King and Queen’s entourage, the U.K. national flag was flying upside down.
During King Charles and Queen Camilla’s royal visit to the United States this week to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of independence, the flag incident was the second such mishap to cause a stir.
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Another flag slip
On the first day of their vist to the US, Australian and American flags were momentarily flown beside one another on the light posts flanking a major street in Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 24, ABC News reported.
James Longman of ABC shared an Instagram video on Instgram saying, “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.”
A representative of the D.C. The source was informed by the Department of Transportation that investigators are looking into how the incident happened. The official said, “We posted those flags, but it was quickly rectified, and we were able to remove them.”
