Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Charles III Addresses US Congress
The relationship between the US and the UK has cooled over the decades, finding a new low with the Trump administration. While the UK may have a couple of issues that the US needs sorted out, the UK has a basketful of complaints starting with tariffs, going on to disrepect of British troops and beyond. Moreover, the government of Sir Keir Starmer is ideologically opposed to the fascism of the Trumpists. So when King Charles came to America this week, His Majesty found himself on the highwire performing stunts at which many others would not succeed. However, his decades-long apprenticeship as Prince of Wales proved useful in said performance. His address to a joint session of Congress was a masterclass in diplomacy.
The first thing that one noticed as HM entered the House chamber was the respect the assembled legislators behaved. Unlike a state of the union speech where many feel barracking the president as he speaks is acceptable. Yesterday, no one interrupted except to applaud. That happened frequently.
Part of the effectiveness of the speech he delivered was the delivery itself. HM has cultivated a public persona of self-deprecating humor mixed with an earnestness few can fake. Despite his accent and education, he does well in putting the crown to one side and simply speaking as Charles, son of Philip and Elizabeth. The royal family has successfully reinvented itself since the death of Princess Diana. For an audience like the American Congress, that "aw, shucks" attitude plays quite well. HM can read a room.
"Charles made a fantastic speech today at Congress," Mr. Trump said. "He got the Democrats to stand, and I've never been able to do it. I couldn't believe it." HM did not insult them to their faces, so that might have had something to do with their response.
"They liked him more than they've ever liked any Republican or Democrat, actually," Mr. Trump added, drawing laughs from the room. That is not true, of course. Messrs, Obama and Biden had a great many fans on the Democratic side of the aisle.
However, HM did not write the speech; he merely read it. The words came from Number 10, the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office. They reflected the policies and goals of the British government couched in the kind of language King Charles must use as his role is beyond politics. When seen through that lense, it is clear he gave the US government a tongue-lashing.
The American audience were reminded that the Magna Carta established that executive power in the British monarchy is limited. Indeed, it was an attempt to abandon that dictum that caused a previous King Charles (the First one) to lose his head. They also heard that the US Supreme Court cited it more than 160 times in its decisions since this constitution went into effect.
He continued that the US and UK share some basic values, no matter how difficult it is to spot them these days. '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," King Charles said.
One must recall that Mr. Trump in the last couple of weeks complained about the British troops not dashing to the front lines in the wars of this century. That is completely untrue, and that casual remark was a sound clapback. Where Mr. Trump has denigrated NATO, HM praised it, having served in a NATO navy himself.
The Republicans did get one good break, and that was the Democrats standing and clapping for the King. For a party that holds regular "No Kings" rallies, it was rather amusing.
Sadly, the forces at work driving the US away from its allies are not going away. The royal visit is a reminder that these forces can be resisted and even halted. Yet both sides need to work at it if it is to happen. While the UK may be willing, it will take a new president and congress for America to return to the game.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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