{"id":52232,"date":"2026-05-01T10:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/52232\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T10:04:11","slug":"king-charles-charms-america-and-avoids-pitfalls-during-his-four-day-whirlwind-us-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/52232\/","title":{"rendered":"King Charles charms America and avoids pitfalls during his four-day whirlwind US tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Britain\u2019s King Charles III came to the United States to mark Britain\u2019s loss in the war of independence. He left<\/a> with an historic win.<\/p>\n

The 77-year-old monarch faced a number of possible pitfalls from a bombastic US president known for creating controversy and generating headlines at the lowest moment for US-UK relations in modern history.<\/p>\n

But Charles showed he could deliver a message of unity and celebrate the \u201ceternal bond\u201d with America as it marks its 250th birthday, while at times disagreeing with its president<\/a> and even cracking a few jokes.<\/p>\n

In his landmark speech<\/a> to a joint meeting of US Congress on Tuesday, Charles challenged Donald Trump on several issues that the US and United Kingdom have clashed over in recent months.<\/p>\n

Sticking up for the transatlantic alliance, in the spirit of Magna Carta, he spoke of \u201cthe principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.\u201d<\/p>\n

He confessed to feeling the weight of history on his shoulders, knowing that if he got it wrong, it could have defined his reign in all the wrong ways.<\/p>\n

But he remained resolute in emphasizing the collective strength of the long-standing alliance, saying: \u201cOur defense, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Britain's<\/p>\n

Britain’s King Charles III speaks to a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2026. – Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Charles concluded his bold address to Congress \u2013 only the second time a British monarch has been allowed to do so \u2013 by reminding lawmakers of the \u201cweight and meaning\u201d that the United States\u2019 influence carries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actions of this great nation matter even more,\u201d the King said. \u201cPresident 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The speech was a high-stakes diplomatic moment, but he was met with a warm and bipartisan reception and received several standing ovations. Many read it as a judgment on the presidency, but Trump heralded the speech at a grand state dinner at the White House later, saying the King had \u201cmade a great speech. I was very jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trip wasn\u2019t without its challenges. During the four-day visit, it was revealed that Britain\u2019s ambassador to Washington had previously said the only country that has a \u201cspecial relationship\u201d with the US was \u201cprobably Israel,\u201d rather than Britain, in leaked comments<\/a> which briefly seemed to threaten the visit\u2019s mission of soothing US-UK ties.<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Charles III and the British Ambassador to the US Christian Turner attend a garden party at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, DC, on April 27. – Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Christian Turner, who took on the role earlier this year after his predecessor Peter Mandelson was sacked over his association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, made the remarks privately to a group of British students visiting the US in February.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Special relationship\u2019 is a phrase I try not to utter because it\u2019s quite nostalgic, it\u2019s quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of sort of baggage about it,\u201d Turner said in the audio recording. \u201cI think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States \u2013 and that is probably Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the recently appointed ambassador to have cast doubt on the transatlantic alliance which the British government is trying to restore was an embarrassing moment that threatened to derail Charles\u2019 objectives, but instead he soldiered on.<\/p>\n

King Charles also used his visit subtly to boost NATO at a time when Trump has publicly lambasted the alliance and made enemies across Europe. At the state dinner on Tuesday evening, the King reaffirmed the deep bonds between the US and UK, tracing their roots to World War II. He highlighted how both nations have supported each other in their \u201cdarkest days,\u201d culminating in the establishment of NATO in 1949, and emphasized the vital role these post-war institutions play.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring 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,\u201d the King said.<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Charles III presents the original bell from the HMS Trump, a World War II-era submarine, as a gift to President Donald Trump during a State Dinner at the White House on April 28. – Brendan Smialowski\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Charles also said both nations must remain committed to supporting Ukraine as Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion surpasses four years, and underscored how staying within NATO is significant to prevent further tensions between Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe and I shall never forget that, nor least, not least as freedom is again under attack following Russia\u2019s 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,\u201d the King said, also referencing the trilateral security partnership between the UK, US and Australia.<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s pilgrimage to the 9\/11 memorial in New York and Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia a day later were two subtle reminders of how the British have served and died alongside their American counterparts in the name of freedom.<\/p>\n

While Charles certainly appeared to be softening Britain\u2019s tensions with Trump, the US president continued to take swipes at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his reluctance to join in the war<\/a> against Iran on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Trump had only positive things to say about the King, but suggested Charles might have made different decisions than Starmer if he were in charge of making them.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great king, and he\u2019s a great friend of mine. And I think if he were doing that, if that were up to him, he would have probably helped us with Iran. He would have followed the suggestions we made with respect to Ukraine,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Trump seemed to revel in the visit, proclaiming Charles \u201cthe greatest king!\u201d during their farewells on the final day of the trip. A short time later, a parting gift came in the form of removing tariffs from some Scottish whisky. Buckingham Palace responded in a statement calling it a \u201cwarm gesture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Charles<\/p>\n

Charles is presented with a baseball by the Front Royal Little League team that won the state championship last year during a parade and block party in Virginia on the final day of the visit. – Win McNamee\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Before taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, King Charles and Queen Camilla spent their final day in Virginia, stopping by a block party in the town of Front Royal. People had started lining up for the party early Thursday, and the crowds cheered as the motorcade drove into the small Virginia town.<\/p>\n

The party included a parade down Main Street, a marching band and classic British and American cars, with masses turning out to mingle with the royal couple. The American people with whom Charles interacted were clearly charmed by the visiting monarch, with one resident of Front Royal taking the opportunity to tell him: \u201cThank you for your congressional address.\u201d<\/p>\n

CNN\u2019s Kevin Liptak, Ivana Kottasova and Christian Edwards contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Britain\u2019s King Charles III came to the United States to mark Britain\u2019s loss in the war of independence.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[2231,32059,901,12,169,168,2377,2376,10832,1893,739],"class_list":{"0":"post-52232","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jd-vance","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-christian-turner","10":"tag-dc","11":"tag-donald-trump","12":"tag-james-david-vance","13":"tag-jd-vance","14":"tag-joint-meeting-of-congress","15":"tag-king-charles","16":"tag-transatlantic-alliance","17":"tag-us-vice-president-jd-vance","18":"tag-washington"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116498757304739929","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}