King Charles III has stressed the value and importance of the “indispensable” UK and US partnership in a well-received speech to Congress.
Speaking to a joint session of the US Congress, King Charles repeatedly highlighted the historical and cultural ties that he said have cemented an enduring bond between the United States and the United Kingdom. Even as he spoke in unifying, optimistic terms, he delivered a series of nuanced warnings encouraging leaders in the US to remain collaborative, stating that the two nations had to stand together.
The King is just the second British Monarch to address a joint session of Congress. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered a similar speech in 1991 highlighting the historic ties between both countries and the importance of their democratic values.
While the King paid tribute to those remarks, he acknowledged that today’s environment is “more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late mother spoke.” “We meet in times of great uncertainty, in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East which pose immense challenges,” he said
During his roughly 20-minute speech to Congress, King Charles, who is expressly apolitical, never directly criticized Trump. Still, the contrast was apparent at times and some British commentators described his speech as more political than they had expected. At one point, Charles traced the notion of checks and balances on executive power to the Magna Carta, the foundational legal document sealed by King John in 1215.
He said that the alliance between the US and the UK, tested anew by President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, “cannot rest on past achievements.” King Charles urged “unyielding resolve” in backing Ukraine against Russia, saying that there needed to be backing for the “defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people.”
He heralded the NATO alliance that Trump has consistently undermined. He stated that there had to be support for the alliance, “keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries.”
The King praised religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue in terms that are rare in Trump’s Washington. “I am inspired by the profound respect that develops as people of different faiths grow in their understanding of each other,” said the King, calling for peace, at a time of an unpredictable conflict in Iran and the Middle East.
The speech made a coded reference to abuse endured by Epstein survivors, not mentioning Epstein by name, but calling for support for “victims of some of the ills that so tragically exist in our societies today.” There was also a reference to the gun attack in Washington DC at the weekend, which has seen a man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump and has raised security in the US capital to an even more intense level. “Let me say with unshakeable resolve: such acts of violence will never succeed,” the King said.
King Charles On A Four-day Visit
Charles is on a four-day visit to the US intended to both celebrate American independence and to repair the country’s fraying relationship with the UK. Joined by Queen Camilla, Charles had a warm greeting with the President and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House.
In his welcome remarks, Trump also highlighted the shared history between the two countries.
“American patriots today can sing, ’My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty,’ only because our colonial ancestors first sang, ‘God save the King.’”
Donald Trump
The leaders met privately in the Oval Office for a meeting Trump later described as “really good,” adding that Charles is a “fantastic person.”
Trump hosted the royal couple for a jovial state dinner later on Tuesday in the East Room of the White House. About 130 guests were seated at two long tables that were decorated with low floral arrangements. The guests included tech leaders such as outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, along with conservative Supreme Court justices and several Fox News journalists and hosts.
President Trump looked delighted with a gift at the state dinner, when the King gave him an original bell from a wartime submarine, called HMS Trump. “And should you ever need to get hold of us… well, just give us a ring!” the King said.
Charles and Camilla will continue their US tour with stops in New York City and Virginia.
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