The King's 'Speeches'!
King Charles III's speech made a profound impression on the American President, Congress and People. Will it have any lasting positive effect?
by Tim Veater
(See also: Tension, Humor, Power: King Charles’ Speech Shakes Washington Apr 29, 2026 Europe Pulse Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HpLDCW68vM )
Introduction
The humour contrasted with the seriousness. It was the 'spoonful of sugar that helped the medicine go down'. It was 'British humour' not American, yet in most part it worked. It possessed literary and ironical depth, which from You Tube commentators with a mass following, I gathered was not always understood. They also contained deeper inference which afforded them quality. It may be useful to consider them more carefully.
The King’s Address to the Joint Meeting of Congress in Washington on 28th April, 2026
Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress, representatives of the American People across all states, territories, cities and communities.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my particular gratitude to you all for the great honour of addressing this Joint Meeting of Congress and, on behalf of The Queen and myself, to thank the American people for welcoming us to the United States to mark this semi-quincentennial year of the Declaration of Independence.
And for all of that time, our destinies as Nations have been interlinked. As Oscar Wilde said, “We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language!”
Ladies and gentlemen, 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.
Standing here today, it is hard not to feel the weight of history on my shoulder – because the modern relationship between our two Nations and our own peoples spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries. It is extraordinary to think that I am the nineteenth in our line of Sovereigns to study, with daily attention, the affairs of America. So, I come here today with the highest respect for the United States Congress; this citadel of democracy created to represent the voice of all American people to advance sacred rights and freedoms. Speaking in this renowned chamber of debate and deliberation, I cannot help but think of my late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who, in 1991, was also afforded this signal honour and similarly spoke under the watchful eye of the Statue of Freedom above us. Today, I am here on this great occasion in the life of our Nations to express the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States.
As you may know, when I address my own Parliament at Westminster, we still follow an age-old tradition and take a member of Parliament ‘hostage’, holding him or her at Buckingham Palace until I am safely returned. These days, we look after our ‘guest’ rather well – to the point that they often do not want to leave! I don’t know,
Mr Speaker, if there were any volunteers for that role here today...?
As I look back across the centuries, Mr Speaker, there emerge certain patterns; certain self-evident truths from which we can learn and draw mutual strength. With the Spirit of 1776 in our minds, we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree – at least in the first instance! Indeed, 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. Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it... So perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our Nations are in fact instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day. Drawing on these values and traditions, time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together. 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.
This, I believe, is the Special ingredient in our Relationship. As President Trump himself observed during his State Visit to Britain last Autumn, ‘The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable.’
This is by no means my first visit to Washington, D.C. – the capital of this great Republic. It is in fact my 20th visit to the United States, and my first as King and Head of the Commonwealth. This is a city which symbolises a period in our shared history, or what Charles Dickens might have called ‘A Tale of Two Georges’: the first President, George Washington, and my five-times Great Grandfather, King George III. King George never set foot in America and, please rest assured, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action!
The Founding Fathers were bold and imaginative rebels with a cause. 250 years ago (or, as we say in the United Kingdom, just the other day....) they declared Independence. By balancing contending forces and drawing strength in diversity, they united thirteen disparate colonies to forge a Nation on the revolutionary idea of ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. They carried with them, and carried forward, the great inheritance of the British Enlightenment – as well as the ideals which had an even deeper history in English Common Law and Magna Carta.
These roots run deep, and they are still vital. Our Declaration of Rights of 1689 was not only the foundation of our constitutional Monarchy, but also provided the source of so many of the principles reiterated – often verbatim – in the American Bill of Rights of 1791. And those roots go even further back in our history: the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances. This is the reason why there stands a stone, by the River Thames at Runnymede where Magna Carta was signed in the year 1215. This stone records that an acre of that ancient and historic site was given to the U.S.A. by the people of the United Kingdom, to symbolise our shared resolve in support of liberty, and in memory of President John F. Kennedy.
Distinguished members of the 119th Congress, it is here in these very halls that this spirit of liberty and the promise of America’s Founders is present in every session and every vote cast.
Not by the will of one, but by the deliberation of many, representing the living mosaic of the United States. 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.
And, Mr. Speaker, for many here – and for myself – the Christian faith is a firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally, but together as members of our community. Having devoted a large part of my life to interfaith relationships and greater understanding, it is that faith in the triumph of light over darkness which I have found confirmed countless times. Through it I am inspired by the profound respect that develops as people of different faiths grow in their understanding of each other. It is why it is my hope – my prayer - that, in these turbulent times, working together and with our international partners, we can stem the beating of ploughshares into swords...
I am mindful that we are still in the season of Easter, the season that most strengthens my hope. It is why 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 all people, of all faiths, and of none.
The Alliance that our two Nations have built over the centuries – and for which we are profoundly grateful to the American people – is truly unique. And that Alliance is part of what Henry Kissinger described as Kennedy’s ‘soaring vision’ of an Atlantic Partnership based on twin pillars: Europe and America. That Partnership, I believe Mr. Speaker, is more important today than it has ever been.
The first reigning British Sovereign to set foot in America was my Grandfather, King George VI. He visited in 1939 with my beloved Grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The forces of Fascism in Europe were on the march, and some time before the United States had joined us in the defence of freedom. 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. The United Kingdom recognizes that the threats we face demand a transformation in British defence. That is why our country, in order to be fit for the future, has committed to the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War – during part of which, over fifty years ago, I served with immense pride in the Royal Navy, following in the Naval footsteps of my Father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh; my Grandfather, King George VI; my Great-Uncle, Lord Mountbatten; and my Great-Grandfather, King George V.
This year, of course, also marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. This atrocity was a defining moment for America and your pain and shock were felt around the whole world. During my visit to New York, my wife and I will again pay our respects to the victims, the families, and the bravery shown in the face of terrible loss. We stood with you then. And we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day that shall never be forgotten.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together – as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.
Today, Mr. Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people – it is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace. From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously melting ice-caps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each other’s defence, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries.
Our defence, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades.
Today, thousands of U.S. service personnel, defence officials and their families are stationed in the United Kingdom, as British personnel serve with equal pride across thirty American States. We are building F-35s together. And we have agreed the most ambitious submarine programme in history – AUKUS – in partnership with Australia, a country of which I am also immensely proud to serve as Sovereign.
We do not embark on these remarkable endeavours together out of sentiment. We do so because they build greater shared resilience for the future, so making our citizens safer for generations to come.
Our common ideals were not only crucial for liberty and equality, they are also the foundation of our shared prosperity. The Rule of Law: the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and delivering impartial justice. These features created the conditions for centuries of unmatched economic growth in our two countries. This is why our governments are concluding new economic and technology agreements – to write the next chapter of our joint prosperity and ensure that British and American ingenuity continues to lead the world.
Our nations are combining talent and resources in the technologies of tomorrow: our new partnerships in nuclear fusion and quantum computing, and in A.I. and drug discovery, holding the promise of saving countless lives.
More broadly, we celebrate the $430 billion in annual trade that continues to grow; the $1.7 trillion in mutual investment that fuels that innovation; and the millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic supported across both economies. These are strong foundations on which to continue to build, for generations yet unborn.
Our ties in education, research, and cultural exchange empower citizens and future leaders of both countries.
The Marshall Scholarship, named after the great General George Marshall, and the Association of which I am so proud to be Patron, are emblematic of the connection between our two nations. Since its founding, more than 2,300 scholarships have been awarded, opening doors for Americans from all walks of life to study at the UnitedKingdom’s leading universities.
So as we look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard Nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset.
Millennia before our Nations existed, before any border drawn, the mountains of Scotland and Appalachia were one; a single, continuous range, forged in the ancient collision of continents.
The natural wonders of the United States of America are indeed a unique asset, and generations of Americans have risen to this calling: indigenous, political and civic leaders, people in rural communities and cities alike, have all helped to protect and nurture what President Theodore Roosevelt called ‘the glorious heritage’ of thisland’s extraordinary natural splendour, on which so much of its prosperity has always depended.
Yet even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems, which threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of Nature. We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems – in other words, Nature’s own economy – provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security.
The story of the United Kingdom and the United States is, at its heart, a story of reconciliation, renewal and remarkable partnership.
From the bitter divisions of 250 years ago, we forged a friendship that has grown into one of the most consequential Alliances in human history.
I pray with all my heart that our Alliance will continue to defend our shared values, with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth, and across the world, and that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice-President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since Independence. The actions of this great Nation matter even more. President Lincoln understood this so well, with his reflection in the magisterial Gettysburg Address that the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do. And so, to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world.
God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.
The King's State Dinner Speech on 29th April, 2026
Mr. President, First Lady,
My wife and I are most grateful to you for your generous hospitality as the United States celebrates this very special anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence.
May I also just start by paying tribute to your own courage and steadfastness, as well as to your security services for their swift actions on Saturday evening in preventing further injury. My thoughts and sympathies are with you, the First Lady and all those guests for whom this must have been a very upsetting incident. As the words of that famous anthem remind us, this is the land of the free and home of the brave as your own response demonstrates. What used to be called in the last War in the United Kingdom, Keep Calm and Carry on...!
I now realize, to my amazement, that my first visit to this remarkable country was over fifty years ago and, Mr. President, the golden threads of history and heritage between our lands are also embodied in your own family story, whose roots trace back to the beautiful landscapes of Britain’s Outer Hebrides and continue, as we know, in the great golf courses of the Highlands. I can only imagine the immense pride with which your own dear Mother, indeed both your Parents, must be looking down on the great office to which you have been elected for a historic second term.
And if I may say so, it is a particular pleasure to be back in this wonderful building, the heart of your democracy. On this occasion, I cannot help noticing the ‘readjustments’ to the East Wing, Mr. President, following your visit to Windsor Castle last year. I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814.
I am so glad we have an important opportunity, at this critical time, to renew those bonds of history and friendship between our Nations and our peoples. Two and a half centuries ago, the United States of America was founded through an audacious and visionary act of self-determination. From the beginning, the American character has been defined by courage, tenacity and the spirit of adventure. As the direct descendant of King George III, I know this is a Nation that never gives up.
My family’s history remains reflected in your maps, which read rather like our Christmas card list across the ages – North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the cities of Charleston (a particular favourite of mine, obviously), Georgetown (and, for that matter, Georgia), Annapolis, as you mentioned, and (further favourites) Prince William County and Williamsburg. This said, our French friends can feel equally at home with a glance at a map. Indeed, 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...! Of course, we both love our French cousins greatly, and we three states are not only bound by our shared values, but by a profound belief that, together, we are more than the sum of our parts.
Out of the fires of a bitter and bloody Revolutionary War, the triumph of the father of this country, George Washington, and his fellow founders, was to forge a democracy founded upon the rights to liberty and the Rule of Law.
The story of Britain and America is one of reconciliation, from adversaries to the closest of allies; not always, perhaps, following the straightest path. As you said yourself, Mr President, during your own State Visit at Windsor Castle last year, ours is an unbreakable bond of history and heritage, culture and commerce, industry and invention – and we are determined to face the future together.
Tonight, we are here to renew an indispensable alliance which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security for both British and American citizens. Our people have fought and fallen together in defence of the values we cherish. Across the ocean, and from coast to coast, we have traded, innovated and created together. We have stood together through the best and worst of times.
However, the challenges we now face, from those who wish us harm across the world, to balancing the risks and opportunities of powerful new technologies, to the threats to the very international rules that have allowed us to trade and have kept power in balance for eighty years; those challenges encourage us to reaffirm, tonight, the basis on which our partnership has been built.
And yes, we have had our moments of difficulty even in more recent history. When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the “Special” back into our Relationship after a crisis in the Middle East. Nearly seventy years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today....
But it is not hard to see how important the relationship remains, in matters both seen and unseen.
My mother’s first Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, understood this so well. But then he himself was half American – a tradition of shared transatlantic heritage which I am pleased to say is alive and well in the White House today! Indeed, such was the closeness, that Sir Winston, whilst staying here in the White House – in one of the rooms you showed us upstairs - emerged naked from the bathtub to discover the door opening as President Roosevelt came in for a chat. With rapier wit, the President cast aside any embarrassment by declaring that, ‘the Prime Minister has nothing to conceal from the President of the United States’. This warmth came after testing times between our leaders in the early 1940s.
The kinship and friendship of many centuries provided great reassurance to my late grandfather King George VI, as it did to my late Mother.
It means every bit as much to me.
Of course, my late Mother met no fewer than thirteen serving Presidents – thankfully, all of them fully clothed! The first President I had the honour of meeting – at the age of ten, in 1959, when he came to Balmoral – was President Eisenhower, who had served as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces during World War II at a most critical time in the darkest days of the 20th century. American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe. We – and I – shall never forget that, not least as freedom is again under attack following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Today, our partnerships in NATO and AUKUS deepen our technological and military cooperation and ensure that, together, we can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and contested world. And speaking of submarine alliances, there was one particular AUKUS predecessor, launched from a UK shipyard in 1944, that served for the majority of her life attached to the 4th Submarine Squadron in Australia, playing a critical role during the war in the Pacific.
Her name? HMS Trump.
So tonight, Mr President, I am delighted to present to you – as a personal gift – the original bell which hung on the Conning Tower of your valiant namesake. May it stand as a testimony to our Nations’ shared history and shining future. And should you ever need to get hold of us... well, just give us a ring!
For 250 years, the ingenuity and imagination of the people of the United States have been an inspiration to the world. This land of opportunity has nourished some of humanity’s greatest minds, from the industrial age to the space age. So many miracles of the modern world have been and still are invented in America. Indeed, we have followed the voyage of Artemis II – or Artemis the Second, as my family and I might like to call her! – with close attention. Now, I know you have big plans for the Moon, Mr. President, but I’ve checked the papers and I rather suspect it is already part of the Commonwealth, I’m afraid!
On this week’s visit, I look forward to meeting the people and communities of this dynamic country, including celebrating some of the work my King’s Trust has been doing in those communities, helping give young people the chance to succeed across America, in this year when we mark 50 years of the Trust, can you believe it?
Every year, millions of Britons journey to this remarkable country to experience its glorious national parks, soaring mountains and ancient forests. From the peaks of the Pacific Northwest to the rugged shores of the Atlantic, from the vast expanses of the West to the sweeping prairies and canyons, the natural beauty of this land is found in every corner.
And in sport, in just a few weeks, the United States and Canada will be among those to welcome the world as hosts of the FIFA World Cup. So in one sense, Mr President, as Heads of State, we are joint hosts!
We call this game, by the way, “Football”, Mr. President... And I can only say as the Head of State of five competing countries, I will be watching the matches closely and with great enthusiasm. After all, we always like favourable odds...
This city, Washington D.C., is the home of more Shakespeare Folios than anywhere in the world. 82 copies are carefully preserved and shared at The Folger Library. And at this time where the search for peace in the world, is more crucial than ever, I can only turn to Shakespeare’s genius to remind us of the plea for peace, spoken by the Duke of Burgundy at the conclusion of Henry V -
“my speech entreats, that I may know...why gentle Peace should not...bless us with her former qualities.”
Thank you, Mr. President and Mrs Trump, for your splendid dinner this evening which, may I say, is a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party! So, whether your cup contains tea, wine, Scotch whisky, bourbon or even cola, let us raise our glasses and voices as we toast the past, the present and the future of our two proud and allied nations:
To the United States, and the United Kingdom. God bless both our countries.
