In a new age of revolt, it took a king to remind America of its republican values: the rule of law, democracy and the power of its international example.
King Charles III chooses his words with precision — as did his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Royal meaning must often be inferred.
But by regal standards, his speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday was strikingly direct.
Charles neither rebuked nor criticized the Trump administration. But the monarch implicitly frowned on America’s current political direction and defended pillars of Western democracy: domestic checks and balances, alliances and interfaith tolerance.
Charles further called for the strong defense of Ukraine. And “nature,” he said, must be protected — in a coded call for tackling climate change, which President Donald Trump has called a “con job.”
And the king stressed that friends can disagree without fracturing forever bonds, an occluded reference to the “special relationship,” which has been battered by the UK’s refusal to join the Iran war.
“America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence,” Charles said, in the well of the House of Representatives. “The actions of this great nation matter even more.”
The king’s version of US values probably pleased “No Kings” Democrats more than Vice President JD Vance, who has views about UK and European civilizational decline and who sat behind him in the House of Representatives.
But Charles leavened his critique by showing deep respect for his hosts. He quoted Trump saying that the “bond of kinship” between the US and UK is “priceless and eternal.” And his speech was replete with praise for American historic achievements.
And the harder edges were softened by the choreographed pomp of a state visit that reciprocates a trip by Trump last year. Paraphrasing President Theodore Roosevelt, the king was speaking softly while carrying a big scepter.
The president showed no sign of being offended by Charles’ remarks. Trump prides himself on one-on-one relationships with the world’s most famous leaders. The king also twice condemned the thwarted alleged assassination attempt against the president at a media gala on Saturday.
“The Firm,” as the royal family is often known, has seen it all before. King Charles mentioned at a rare white-tie state dinner at the White House Tuesday evening that his mother had come to Washington in 1957 to mend US-UK divides provoked by the Suez crisis.
“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,” the king said.
And Charles presented the president with a unique gift — the original bell from the conning tower of HMS Trump, a Royal Navy submarine that saw service in the Pacific in World War II.
“Should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring!” Charles said.
This ceremonial way of addressing ideological rifts in a non-ideological way highlighted a paradox: British monarchs are bound by constitutional convention to be apolitical. But their restraint gives them huge symbolic power when they choose, sparingly, to use it.
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