More than two centuries after the Boston Tea Party made tea a symbol of rebellion, an awkward cup in the White House quietly generated its own diplomatic moment.
In 1981, when King Charles was still Prince of Wales, he visited Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office.
A tea quickly turned into an awkward moment when it arrived with the tea bag still inside.
Totally normal in the US, but for a British royal, it’s not exactly the way to go.
According to royal author David Charter, Reagan quickly realized something was wrong.
The future King politely held the cup, clearly unsure of how to proceed, before finally leaving it untouched.
Reagan later admitted in his diary that he feared he had made a social faux pas and wrote that he didn’t know how to recover from the moment.
Charles, for his part, admitted that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with it either.
Just a few years later, in 1985, Charles returned to Washington with Princess Diana for their first joint visit to the United States, this time without any tea-related uncertainty overshadowing the proceedings.
Instead, the trip became one of the most memorable royal visits in modern history, with a dazzling evening at the White House where Diana danced with John Travolta.
King Charles is preparing to return to the White House once again, this time alongside Queen Camilla for a state visit commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence.
