Britain’s King Charles III will address the US Congress on Tuesday with a message of unity between the United Kingdom and the United States, promoting the “special relationship” at a time of differences between the British government and US President Donald Trump over the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Charles and Queen Camilla are on a four-day state visit to the US, steering clear of the political rifts between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer while underscoring the deep ties forged between Britain and its former colony over the 250 years since independence.
The king’s address, scheduled to begin at 3pm EDT (1900 GMT), will be only the second by a British sovereign to the US Congress, after his mother Queen Elizabeth II spoke to both houses in 1991.
It is a central event of the state visit – the most high-profile of Charles’s reign – and will be followed by a state dinner on Tuesday night.
The king’s speech is expected to last about 20 minutes, a palace source said, and touch on issues including NATO, the Middle East and Ukraine. While written on the advice of the British government, much of the language and tone comes from Charles himself, the source said.
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Its central message will focus on challenges facing both nations, stressing that the two countries can promote international security and prosperity by defending their shared values.
Despite periodic differences, the king will say, “Time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together,” and will describe the partnership as “one of the greatest alliances in human history”, the source said.
Trump, a vocal admirer of the British royal family who often calls Charles a “great man”, has nonetheless clashed with Starmer’s government.
Starmer hopes the visit will shore up the transatlantic relationship, which has been strained in recent months.
The long-planned visit has unfolded against tensions over the US-Israeli war on Iran, after Trump criticised Britain for declining to support the offensive.
Although Trump has eased his criticism in recent days, an internal Pentagon email outlining how Washington might review its position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands has raised concern across the Atlantic.
Trump has also imposed tariffs on the UK and warned of additional levies despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that has made such unilateral moves more challenging. Trump threatened just last week to slap a “big tariff” on the UK if it doesn’t scrap a digital services tax on US technology companies.
The visit began on Monday when Charles and Camilla met Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a private tea at the White House, followed by a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence, where they mingled with media leaders, Washington socialites and US officials.
On Wednesday, the royals will be in New York City to commemorate those killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the trip concludes in Virginia on Thursday with the king meeting people involved in conservation, reflecting his long-standing environmental advocacy.
Charles has faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while he is in the US. There’s no indication that he will do so, even as the scandal involving the convicted disgraced financier has ensnared his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested in February over misconduct allegations, which he denies.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AP)
