Published April 28, 2026
In a speech before the U.S. Congress, Britain’s King Charles III pledged NATO unity and called for aid to Ukraine amid continued Russian aggression.
Tuesday’s speech came during the royal family’s four-day visit to the United States, amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO, and escalating trade tensions between the longtime allies.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
But Charles avoided mentioning specific frictions during his speech on Capitol Hill, instead opening with a joke-filled tone and speaking in a lighter tone.
He praised the two countries’ shared history and values, and once quipped that Washington, D.C., is “a story of two Georges,” the first U.S. president, George Washington, and his ancestor, British King George.
He laughed and assured lawmakers that he was not in the United States “as part of a cunning rear guard operation” as the War of Independence continued to lag.
“I have come here on this great occasion in the lives of our two countries to express the highest respect and friendship of the British people to the American people,” the King said, to repeated standing ovations.
But hidden within the broader theme of unity was a more poignant message.
Prince Charles did not directly address the US-Israel war with Iran or President Trump’s outspoken criticism of NATO allies who have refused to join the US war effort.
Instead, he praised his support for NATO and the alliance’s invocation of the Article 5 Collective Defense Treaty in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“Together, we answered that call, as our people have stood shoulder to shoulder for more than a century, through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan, and defining moments for our common security,” he said.
He then turned his attention to funding for Ukraine, which has become an increasingly hot topic in the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.
“Mr. Speaker, today we need the same unyielding determination to protect Ukraine and its bravest people,” he said, referring to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
In one instance, Charles praised “the $430 billion in annual trade that continues to grow and the mutual investment of $1.7 trillion that fuels that innovation.”
President Trump last week threatened to impose “major tariffs” on Britain if it did not reduce the digital services tax on American tech companies.
At another point, Charles pointed to concerns about the global environment.
“We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems, in other words nature’s own economy, provide the foundation for our prosperity and national security,” he said.
President Trump has called climate change a “swindler” and withdrew from the landmark Paris climate agreement during his first and second terms. Since then, the administration has pushed to deregulate fossil fuels and shift away from green energy, an approach many members of the president’s Republican Party have adopted.
Other messages appeared to be gentle references to U.S. political trends, with critics accusing Trump of using the Justice Department for political revenge and subverting long-standing norms of presidential power.
Charles said the United States and Britain have “shared ideals”: “the rule of law, the certainty of stable and accessible rules, an independent judiciary, conflict resolution and impartial justice.”
He also drew a line between Magna Carta, the 13th-century document that established the British monarch’s obedience to the law, and the U.S. constitution and case law, saying it is “the basis of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.”
The speech came just before President Trump was scheduled to invite Prince Charles and Queen Camilla to an official state dinner.
The pair were then scheduled to visit New York and Virginia before an official farewell ceremony at the White House on Thursday.
