King Charles says “time and again, the US and the UK have always found ways to come together” during his address to the US Congress on Tuesday, in which he called for “reconciliation and renewal” between the US and UK.
The centerpiece of the second day of the King’s state visit came at a tense time in relations, during which President Donald Trump had repeatedly lambasted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his response to the Iran war.
Security in Washington DC is extremely tight, with the four-day state visit beginning just two days after a gunman stormed an event attended by the president in the capital.
The King expressed sympathy over the attack in his speech.
The official visit, during which the King has been joined by Queen Camilla, is the first since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 2007.
In the speech, the King said that in times of great international challenges, it is more necessary than ever to stantogether to defend democratic values.
The King urged that the beliefs of tolerance, liberty, and equality be defended, whether by supporting NATO or by protecting Ukraine, according to royal sources.
The King also told the US lawmakers that the transatlantic alliance is built on a “generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value people of all faiths and none”.
The speech was written at the government’s direction and it lasted 20 minutes.
It forms part of a packed itinerary that began on Monday, when King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
On arrival at the airbase, the royal couple was greeted on the runway by the US chief of protocol, Monica Crowley, and the British ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, among other dignitaries.
They were then given flowers by two children of UK service personnel stationed in the US, before a band performed the British and American national anthems.
Children handed the royal couple bouquets of flowers after they disembarked from their plane
The King and Queen went on to be greeted at the White House by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
They met on the South Portico, with the famous building currently undergoing extensive construction.
The royal visitors had tea in the Green Room and were brought into the garden to see a newly-expanded beehive, rebuilt in the shape of a miniature White House.
This honey-coated piece of diplomacy was intended to appeal to King Charles, who is an enthusiastic supporter of beekeeping.
The state visit, carried out on behalf of the UK government, is a soft power attempt to strengthen relations in a year in which the US is marking its 250th anniversary of independence.
Queen Camilla was wearing a brooch featuring the British and US flags, which was given to the late Queen Elizabeth II by the mayor of New York during a state visit in 1957.
That particular trip had been a diplomatic mission to rebuild the US-UK partnership after the Suez Crisis of 1956, which had put the two countries at odds over a Middle East war.
King Charles and Queen Camilla then attended a crowded garden party at the UK’s embassy in Washington, DC, attended by more than 600 people. The guests had US and UK connections, with people from politics, science, charities, and the military.
The British ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, pictured with the King and Queen at a garden party in the British embassy in Washington, DC
It was the traditional garden party fare of sandwiches and scones, but the beef sandwiches had their own diplomatic significance, with the meat from the first tariff-free batch of British beef imported after a recently negotiated deal.
Among the political figures were former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Ted Cruz, and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Queen Camilla stopped for some time to talk with a group of women representing organizations that campaign against domestic abuse.
“It’s very important to have such advocates, and it’s a cause very close to her heart,” said Sandra Jackson, who had told the Queen about her work for House of Ruth, which supports survivors of domestic violence.
There have been calls for the King and Queen to meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But that hasn’t happened due to concerns about jeopardizing the legal process.
