King Charles Addresses Congress, Celebrates America’s 250th

King Charles III gave a joint address to Congress Tuesday, giving members a break from discussing the farm bill, reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and funding for the Department of Homeland Security, all of which have been held up in the House Rules Committee.

Vice President JD Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson, and members of both chambers gathered in the House chamber during the afternoon to hear from Charles, who is visiting to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

The visit comes as the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is rocky. The two haven’t agreed on much for some time. Areas of disagreement include the war in Ukraine, tariffs on the U.K., the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and more recently, England’s refusal to join the war effort in Iran.

“He can’t be very political,” Raheem Kassam, a British conservative political commentator and guest of Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., told The Daily Signal. “He’s not a political figure. Yeah, I think a lot of people might think of it as happy talk, but sometimes we do need some happy talk.”

Our Shared Magna Carta

Charles used a fair amount of his speech to celebrate America and her 250 years of independence from his country. However, he did throw in a few jabs, bragging about his country having a bit more experience with independence.

“The Founding Fathers were bold and imaginative rebels with a cause,” the king said, honoring the men who won America’s freedom.

He also earned a standing ovation by talking about Christianity: “The Christian faith is a firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally, but together as members of our community.”

Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., enjoyed hearing Charles discuss shared political values and faith between the two nations.

“He talked about our shared forms of government, and how much of the Magna Carta and elements of representative democracy we glean, and our shared values,” Brecheen said.

Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., told The Daily Signal that he saw the message as demonstrating the success and fruitfulness of the countries’ bond. Even though the relationship might be fractured now, “what we’re working on is so much bigger than any argument or disagreement or slight that is perceived by the Europeans right now,” Harrigan said.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to end up on the same side because our adversaries are genuinely evil,” he concluded.

Is King Charles’ Speechwriter a Comedian?

Charles threw in more than one joke, getting numerous bipartisan laughs from the joint session. Brecheen noted one in particular.

“I was sitting next to a member, and when [Charles] said, ‘It’s amazing how much we share, except for our language,’ one of the members of Congress sitting next to me said, ‘What did he say?’” Brecheen said, laughing about the supposed language barrier.