US organizers wrongly put up Australian instead of British flags for King Charles' visit

WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia mistakenly placed several Australian flags instead of British flags near the White House ahead of King Charles' U.S. visit, although the error was quickly corrected, a D.C. Department of Transportation official said on Friday.

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 put on display to welcome the British king when he arrives in the U.S. capital on Monday. They were later replaced with the British flag, the official said.

Charles' state visit, to mark the ‌250th anniversary of the U.S. 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.

-Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Edmund Klamann/Reuters