Britain’s King Charles III hailed his country’s longstanding relationship with the United States as he attended a lavish state dinner at the White House on Tuesday during a four-day visit to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.
Echoing the tone of an earlier speech to Congress, King Charles III highlighted the historical and cultural ties that he said have cemented an enduring bond between the US and the UK, calling it “one of the most consequential alliances in human history”.
As he spoke in unifying, optimistic terms, he delivered a series of nuanced warnings encouraging leaders in the US to remain collaborative and engaged in global affairs while also urging “that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking” as the relationship is tested by the Iran war.
In just the second speech to Congress by a British monarch following Elizabeth II in 1991, Charles also pointed to shared democratic traditions.
The visit comes at a delicate moment, with US President Donald Trump criticising the UK over its stance on Iran and other policies.
Trump has repeatedly criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his opposition to the Iran war, and there is no indication that King Charles III has shown support for the US leader’s stance.
In his toast, King Charles III said he was “here to renew an indispensable alliance which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security.”
The British monarch pointedly mentioned the importance of international alliances like NATO that Trump has repeatedly questioned, and called for continued support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion.
“Together, we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world,” he added.
Jokes and subtle digs
In his speech, King Charles mostly struck a light-hearted tone, joking about Trump’s recent comments that allies would be speaking German if not for US support in World War II, and accusations of their freeloading on defence.
“You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles quipped.
At the Davos summit in January, Trump said that without US help in World War II, “you’d be speaking German and a little Japanese.”
The British monarch also said he could not help noticing the “readjustments” to the White House East Wing, which the former real estate tycoon has demolished to build a giant $400 million ballroom.
“I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814,” he said, when British soldiers torched the building.
Charles also quipped that the dinner was “a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party,” when colonists dumped shiploads of taxed British tea into the sea in 1773.
In his earlier speech to Congress, Charles III noted that the British Magna Carta had been cited in more than 160 US Supreme Court cases, eliciting rapt applause from the opposition Democrats and highlighting the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.
In turn, Trump struck a jovial tone, joking about his Scottish-born mother having “a crush on Charles” and making a jibe about the British weather.
Trump also hailed King Charles III’s “fantastic” speech to Congress. “He got the Democrats to stand, I’ve never been able to do that,” the US president said.
Additional sources • AP, AFP