King Charles III’s final day in the United States was supposed to be a polished send-off—but instead turned into yet another cringe-inducing blunder for the White House.
After Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Thursday, they were flanked by U.S. service members for the ceremonial walk. There was just one problem: A servicemember standing directly behind them was holding the Union flag upside down.
That sloppy mistake quickly pulled focus from Charles—and turned attention squarely onto the administration’s shaky execution of the four-day visit.
“Rather a diplomatic gaff by the Americans here,” Sky News reporter Mark Stone wrote on X. “The Union flag is upside down at the Arlington Cemetery event.”
Social media users quickly joined the pile-on with a mix of confusion and outrage at the glaring display.
“Isn’t that a distress signal that all personnel should respond to?” one user asked, while others railed at the administration for what they saw as a sloppy, mistake-filled visit.
“OMG. Is anyone awake at the White House? Asking for a friend?” another wrote.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Some critics zeroed in on Monica Crowley, 57, President Donald Trump’s chief of protocol, accusing the former political commentator of botching the high-profile event and turning the visit into a “fiasco.”
Crowley had already drawn heat earlier in the trip after being the only one to fail to curtsey to Charles upon his arrival—a perceived breach of royal etiquette that set the tone for what became a string of awkward missteps.
“At least it’s the right flag that’s upside down and not Australians,” one user joked, referencing a previous blunder in Washington, D.C., where officials mistakenly displayed 15 Australian flags alongside British ones.
Others framed the latest mishap as part of a broader pattern.
“So much for this BS administration saying they pay attention to minute detail… wrong flag first Australian then dinner the king does not like and now this,” one critic wrote.
That dinner, hosted by first lady Melania Trump, 56, had already sparked its own round of criticism.
Despite being reportedly briefed in advance on Charles’ dietary preferences, the menu appeared to ignore them entirely. Former Royal chef Darren McGrady told Fox News that officials are typically informed of both the king’s favorite foods and the items he avoids—particularly chocolate.
Yet the dinner featured a beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau as a centerpiece dessert.
For critics, it all added up to what one user called “so many indicators of irresponsible, careless, reckless leadership.”
And the awkward moments didn’t stop there.
Trump, 79, added to the controversy by publicly sharing what he claimed were private remarks from the king during a closed-door meeting.
“Charles agrees with me, even more than I do,” Trump told reporters, dragging the monarch into the increasingly unpopular Iran war. “We’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.”
The comment triggered swift damage control from Buckingham Palace.
“The King is naturally mindful of his Government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation,” a palace spokesperson said in a carefully worded statement.
