April 28 (UPI) — King Charles III drew both applause and laughter in his address to a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, focusing on the importance of alliances and stressing the long history of the two countries.
“The very principle on which your Congress was founded — no taxation without representation — was at once a fundamental disagreement between us, and at the same time, a shared democratic value which you inherited from us,” the king said before U.S. lawmakers.
“Ours is a partnership born of dispute, but no less strong for it.”
The two nations, Britain and the United States, have always been drawn together by their shared values and traditions, he continued.
“And by Jove, Mr. Speaker, when we have found that way to agree, what great change is brought about — not just for the benefit of our peoples, but of all peoples,” he said.
“This, I believe, is the special ingredient in our relationship.”
The king also praised the British-U.S. alliance as part of the greater Atlantic partnership of the United States and Europe, amid strains in their relations, after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer, among other European leaders.
Charles described this Atlantic partnership, based on Europe and the United States, as being “more important today than it has ever been.”
King Charles pointed to his own service in the Royal Navy and praised NATO, which Trump has repeatedly criticized — along with Britain — for not joining the United States in its attacks on Iran.
“Our defense, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years but in decades,” Charles said. He also echoed Starmer, saying that his country had “committed to the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
The king spoke on his love of the environment, mentioning the natural wonders of the United States and “our shared responsibility to safeguard nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset.”
His speech also had moments of humor that drew rare laughter from both sides of the aisle in the audience. The king pointed out the long history of Great Britain, saying that the American colonies declared independence “250 years ago, or as we say in the United Kingdom, just the other day” and referred to Oscar Wilde’s words that the British have everything in common with the United States “except, of course, language.”
In another comment that drew a standing ovation, he referred to the Magna Carta, the 1215 British document that set checks and balances on royal power.
In the end, though, it all came back to diplomacy.
“I believe with all my heart that the essence of our two nations is a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value people of all faiths and none,” Charles said.
He also commented on Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, describing it as an incident that south “to harm the leadership of your nation and to foment wider fear and discord.”
“Let me say, with unshakeable resolve, such acts of violence will never succeed,” he said.
“Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries.”
The speech marked only the second time a British monarch has addressed both houses of Congress. The last time that happened was in 1991 when Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, was in Washington as a guest of the late President George H.W. Bush.
Charles was the guest of honor on Tuesday evening, following his speech at a state dinner hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House.
About the Author
