Fact Check: Did White House display Australian flag for King Charles' visit?
WASHINGTON, DC: After President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a formal state dinner at the White House on Tuesday, a photo began circulating on social media platforms claiming to show an Australian flag being hoisted at the White House to welcome the King. Let us analyze and fact-check the photo.
Claim: White House hoisted Australian flag instead of American flag
The claim appeared in a post on X, which shows a picture of the Australian flag alongside the flag of the United States, claiming to be from the White House during the visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The photo came with a caption stating, “Apparently the US Protocol Office has raised the Australian flag for King Charles' state visit hahahaha OMG this is a successful mess of a visit hahaha.”
The post has garnered almost half a million views, with the comments indicating that people believe it to be real.
Fact Check: False, The photo is from 2019 during Australian PM's visit
However, the photo is not from the recent visit of King Charles to the United States. A reverse image search of the photo reveals that it is from 2019, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB) during the state visit of the Australian Prime Minister.
The image can be found on the Alamy photo agency website, with a caption that says, “An American and Australian flag hang from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the grounds of the White House Complex in Washington, Tuesday, September 17, 2019, ahead of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's state visit."
"President Donald Trump is scheduled to welcome Morrison to the White House Friday, Sept. 20. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky).”
Meanwhile, several news reports suggest that the District of Columbia inadvertently displayed multiple Australian flags instead of British ones near the White House in preparation for King Charles' visit.
Melania Trump curates menu for King Charles' visit
His Majesty has come to the US with his wife for four days as part of the state visit aimed at strengthening the US-UK relationship.
Melania Trump curated a multi-course menu for the visiting British royals, featuring a sequence of refined dishes from a light starter to a rich dessert, highlighting seasonal ingredients and classic preparations.
The White House said that the selection was made to “complement the menu while honoring the shared heritage and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and celebrating the strength of American winemaking today.”
