The King has urged Donald Trump to abandon his America First policy and commit to a new alliance with Britain for the good of the world. Charles received several standing ovations during a rousing address at a joint session of Congress, reflecting on the shared values of the “special relationship”.
The monarch referenced the deep connections forged between past Kings, Queens and Presidents, and said amid changing and often turbulent times, Britain and the United States should “stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm”.
Charles’ emotional and thought provoking speech this afternoon followed a barnstorming official ceremonial welcome at the White House, where President Trump heaped praise on the bond between our two nations forged over centuries.
The historic State Visit had been plunged into doubt in recent months over Trump’s continued barrage of criticism for the UK, amid allied unwillingness to back his war in the Middle East.
But in a dramatic turn of events, the President told guests gathered on the lawn of the White House at the official ceremonial welcome: “Americans have had no closer friends than the British.”
Heralding the “special relationship” between America and the UK, Trump turned to the King who listened intently throughout his 20 minute speech and said: “We hope it will always remain that way”.
The King’s most diplomatically sensitive overseas visit to date comes amid a backdrop of criticism levelled by Mr Trump directly at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the war in Iran. Officials in Downing Street have been hoping the royal family‘s soft-power diplomacy can help heal the rift, and go some way to forging a new united future.
In his speech, which members of the two chambers gathered rose to their feet and applauded 22 times, Charles said he felt “the weight of history on my shoulder”.
Acknowledging the shocking would be assassination attempt on the President last Saturday, when a heavily armed gunman attempted to break into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington—an event that further plunged the visit into doubt—the King said: “We meet in times of great uncertainty; in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East which pose immense challenges for the international community and whose impact is felt in communities the length and breadth of our own countries.
“We meet, too, in the aftermath of the incident not far from this great building that sought 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.
“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.”
Charles also reflected on his late mother’s visit in 1991, the first British monarch to make such an address, but said Britain and the US should look towards a new future.
He said: “Our shared values prevailed. Today, we find ourselves in a new era, but those values remain. It is an era that is, in many ways, more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late Mother spoke, in this Chamber, in 1991.
“The challenges we face are too great for any one Nation to bear alone. But in this unpredictable environment, our Alliance cannot rest on past achievements, or assume that foundational principles simply endure.
“As my Prime Minister said last month: ‘Ours is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must build on it’. Renewal today starts with security. Drawing on these values and traditions, time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together.”
The reception to Charles’s speech, written with the advice of the government, will have been noted by Downing Street, who, despite the apparent breakdown in relations with the US, were keen to dispatch the royals to salvage the alliance.
For weeks the State Visit had been plagued with controversy over the war in Iran, Trump’s threats over tariffs, and even wading into Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
The royals had also been criticised for declining to meet victims of the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the former close friend of the King’s brother, Andrew. Royal sources said the King wanted to acknowledge the victims’ suffering alongside other people struggling throughout the world, highlighting the need for global collaboration.
He said: “In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”
The sentiment of shared history and affection had been echoed just hours before on the lawns of the White House speaking about his family’s love of the royals and even revealing his mum had a crush on Charles as a young man.
Senior members of Mr Trump’s administration were among the guests, including Vice-President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Steve Witkoff, special envoy for peace missions.
A large number of military units took part in the ceremonial welcome from the United States Marine Corps Honour Guard to the United States Space Force Honour Guard who performed in the rain, which stopped before the royals arrived.
Trump declared: “In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British.” He said it was a “tremendous privilege to host” Charles and Camilla, called the King a “very elegant man” praised the late Queen Elizabeth II as a “very special woman” and revealed his mother, Mary, had a “crush” on the King when he was younger.
“She really did love the family but I also remember her saying very clearly, ‘Charles, look young Charles, he’s so cute’. My mother had a crush on Charles – can you believe it? Amazing how… I wonder what she’s thinking right now?”
The royal visit had been months – if not years – in the planning, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Yet it has come at an important juncture in our shared past.
Where Charles reflected on “one of the greatest alliances in human history”, Trump said the occasion should be used to look forward.
He said: “So today we look back on 250 years. Let us remember what has made our countries the two most exceptional nations the world has ever known.
“And together let us go forward with even stronger resolve to carry on our sacred devotion to liberty and to the traditions of excellence that have been our shared gift of all mankind. Your Majesties, thank you once again for making this important visit. We are so honoured.”
On Wednesday, Charles and Camilla travel to New York where they will pay their respects at the 9/11 memorial ahead of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
