The BBC said it was “the biggest diplomatic moment of his reign”, while a US lawmaker acknowledged ‘the King of England’ had managed to unify a divided Congress
Britain’s King Charles III has been praised for a ‘historic speech’ before Congress on Tuesday which even President Donald Trump said he was ‘jealous’ of.
The speech, rousing, humorous and challenging, drew praise across the political spectrum.
Former Vice President Mike Pence called it “inspiring.”
“His affirmation of our shared values and history was just the right message to reaffirm the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” Pence said in a post to social media. “Well Done Your Majesty!”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, called the speech a “much-needed morale booster.”
“Simply put: The King nailed it,” Graham wrote. “The speech was a terrific combo of wit, humor, history and appreciation. I believe most members of Congress feel better after the speech than they did before. Though I will admit it was a bit odd that the unifying feeling had to come from the King of England… but so be it!”
The BBC called it “the biggest diplomatic moment of his reign, against a backdrop of deepening political tensions between the US and the UK – and in the end, he got a standing ovation before he’d spoken.”
It noted there were about a dozen standing ovations in total, as lawmakers repeatedly interrupted the King’s address with loud applause.
“It might once have been taken for granted that the US and UK would be partners in defending democratic values,” the BBC said.
“But after recent tensions there seemed to be no such guarantees – and the King was here to rekindle that alliance, to an audience including US Vice-President JD Vance and political powerbrokers from both Republican and Democrat parties.”
After his speech, Charles and Queen Camilla went to the White House where they were met by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
Trump turned to the king to quietly chat and pointed to him and said, so the media could hear, “he made a great speech. I was very jealous.”
Charles became king in 2022 after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. She also made an address to Congress in 1991 during an official visit to the U.S.
Charles’ three-day visit is the first state visit by a British monarch since May 2007 when his mother Queen Elizabeth II was hosted by President George W. Bush.
