WASHINGTON – It was the first royal address to the U.S. Congress in 35 years.
By all accounts, King Charles III had much to say to a bipartisan crowd of elected officials, Supreme Court justices and military officials. But it’s perhaps the subtext that is most interesting.
Garett Martin, the co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at American University, joined News4JAX anchor Bruce Hamilton on The Morning Show to put the king’s speech in perspective.
Martin said it was delivered with typical British understatement, but there were some things to decode in his message
The king acknowledged “times of great uncertainty” as he expressed gratitude to the American people and marked the 250th anniversary of independence from Britain in a speech to the U.S. Congress that highlighted the bonds between the two countries at a time of political turmoil.
“For all that time,” Charles said, “our destinies have been interlinked.”
Charles is only the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered a similar speech in 1991, highlighting the historic ties between both countries and the importance of their democratic values.
The king’s visit comes at a challenging moment for U.S.-UK relations. U.S. President Donald Trump’s up-and-down relationship with Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a particularly sour turn over the past several months as the president has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran.
The king, accompanied by Queen Camilla, began his day with a meeting at the White House with Trump.
As the royals arrived for a state dinner Tuesday night, the president revealed he enjoyed Charles’ speech to Congress.
“He made a great speech. I was very jealous,” Trump said about Charles during a photo op outside the White House.