King Charles has made an historic speech at US Congress this morning.
He’s the first British Monarch to address American politicians since his mother, Queen Elizabeth, did so in 1991.
The King touched on the war in Iran, as well as the recent shooting at the White House during his address.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
King Charles also hailed the US-UK bond as “unbreakable” while acknowledging their “differences and disagreements”.
“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,” the King said.
He also drew laughter from the members of Congress several times.
“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,” he said.
“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?”
The King received 13 separate standing ovations during his speech, which is 10 more than his mother did.
Charles and Camilla are visiting the US as part of a four-day trip to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from the UK.
