Featured Image Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage
Topics: King Charles III, Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Royal Family, UK News
Madison Burgess
Topics: King Charles III, Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Royal Family, UK News
King Charles III made history this week by becoming the second monarch to ever give a speech to the US Congress.
The British royal, 77, and his wife Queen Camilla, 78, arrived in Washington DC on Monday (27 April) for a four-day state visit across the pond to spend time with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
Their trip marks America's 250th birthday, and aims to be serve as a symbolic celebration of the United Kingdom's relationship with the US.
Among their jam-packed itinerary of engagements, Charles and Camilla have so far enjoyed an afternoon tea at America's British Embassy, attended a celebrity-filled garden party, and feasted on a lavish state banquet.
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But, as mentioned, one item on the agenda carried more historical significance than the rest - the King's speech to Congress.
Sky News' US correspondent has delved into the 'subtle and not-so-subtle messaging' within the important speech.
Notably, the King reminded the US how the only time NATO invoked Article 5, which is the notion that an attack on one is an attack on all, was after 9/11, an American tragedy.
It comes after Trump has been critical of NATO and expressed plans to 're-examine' America's relationship with the political and military alliance, amid the conflict in the Middle East.
The US President previously asked: "What has NATO ever done for us?"
Charles said: "In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together – as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security.
"Today, Mr Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people - in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace."
Later in his speech, the King added that shared defence commitments must remain 'hard-wired together'.
He said: "The United Kingdom recognises that the threats we face demand a transformation in British defence.
"That is why our country, in order to be fit for the future, has committed to the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War."
Adding: "Our defence, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades.
"Today, thousands of US service personnel, defence officials and their families are stationed in the United Kingdom, as British personnel serve with equal pride across 30 American states."
Another subtle jab came when the King talked about the importance of protecting the environment.
"As we look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard Nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset," the monarch said.
It comes after Trump's slogan, 'Drill, Baby, Drill' has become synonymous with his plan to boost fossil fuel production and reverse climate policies.
King Charles said: "The natural wonders of the United States of America are indeed a unique asset, and generations of Americans have risen to this calling: indigenous, political and civic leaders, people in rural communities and cities alike, have all helped to protect and nurture what President Theodore Roosevelt called 'the glorious heritage' of this land's extraordinary natural splendour, on which so much of its prosperity has always depended.
"Yet even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems, which threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of nature."
He warned: "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 our national security."
Finally, the King made some not-so-subtle remarks on how the actions of America 'matter more than ever' right now.
He also referenced Magna Carta, a document that establishes how everyone, including the monarch, is subject to the law.
This comes at a time when people feel that Trump is pushing to further his power, using executive orders and deploying federal troops to cities, for example.
The King said: "Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, America's words carry weight and meaning, as they have since Independence.
"The actions of this great nation matter even more."
He then rounded off with: "Our Declaration of Rights of 1689 was not only the foundation of our constitutional monarchy but also provided the source of so many of the principles reiterated - often verbatim - in the American Bill of Rights of 1791.
"And those roots go even further back in our history: the US Supreme Court Historical Society has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances."
Tyla has contacted representatives for the White House and Buckingham Palace for comment.