British monarchs deliver their political messages in code — and the reference we just heard Charles make to 9/11 is worth unpacking. “In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time … we answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder,” the king said.
Make no mistake — this is a carefully targeted rebuff to Trump and his allies in Congress that, contrary to the president’s repeated claims over recent weeks, NATO wasin fact there to help in America’s hour of need. Charles will visit the 9/11 memorial in New York City tomorrow, so the attacks there almost 25 years ago are very much top of mind.
The king went further still, linking that seminal moment in 2001 to the need to maintain Western unity in support of Ukraine as the war continues. “Today,” Charles said, “that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people — in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.”
The king is striking a very different tone from Trump’s incessant criticisms of Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Charles has met multiple times for private talks over the past few years. This passage is a direct plea to Trump and Hill Republicans to maintain American support against the Russian invasion.