King Charles carries message of conciliation through to state dinner

King Charles III hailed the long-standing ties between Britain and the United States at a glittering state dinner at the White House on Tuesday night, echoing the optimistic tone he had struck hours earlier in an address to Congress.

The king did not directly mention the strains that the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran has placed on U.S.-British relations, but he recalled “moments of difficulty” between the two nations, including Queen Elizabeth II’s 1957 visit to the United States after the Suez Canal crisis. “It is hard to imagine anything like that happening today,” Charles said. “But it is not hard to see how important the relationship remains in matters both seen and unseen.”

As he had in his address to Congress, Charles sprinkled well-crafted jokes among carefully chosen references to the United States and Britain’s shared history. Speaking before an appreciative audience of Trump allies and friends -- top administration officials, Supreme Court justices, Republican lawmakers, billionaires and other conservative figures -- the king called the dinner “an improvement on the Boston Tea Party.”

He brought a gift: the original but now highly polished bell from the HMS Trump, a British submarine that served in World War II. After the king wrapped up his toast, Trump clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Great job.”

The king met privately with Trump earlier in the day after a formal White House welcome. There was a 21-gun salute, and the president and the king took part in a ceremony known as reviewing the troops, the highest diplomatic honor the United States can extend to a visiting head of state.

In remarks to officials from both countries and hundreds of spectators, Trump largely stuck to prepared remarks. He praised the Anglo-American relationship in lofty terms, describing it as having birthed a “revolution in human freedom” that was “never, ever extinguished, but carried forward across centuries, across oceans and across history, until it became a fire that lit the entire world.”

In a nuanced afternoon speech -- only the second time that a British monarch has addressed Congress -- Charles spoke of the trans-Atlantic alliance, the importance of checks and balances and his passion for the environment. He even referred to his time in the Royal Navy, after Trump in recent weeks belittled British naval capabilities. He avoided any direct mention of tensions between Trump and the British prime minister, Kier Starmer, over the Iran war, keeping the mood light.

Referring to the 250th anniversary of the declaration of American independence, he said: “Please rest assured I am not here as part of some cunning rear-guard action!”

On Wednesday, the royal couple will leave for events in New York City, including a morning visit to the Sept. 11 memorial and a celebrity-filled gala in the evening. They will conclude their trip to the United States on Thursday with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and several stops elsewhere in Virginia.

Here’s what else to know:

Tight security: Days after a gunman breached security in an attack on a gala dinner in Washington attended by Trump, measures for the state visit include both highly visible and unseen layers of Secret Service protection.

Returning the favor: At September’s Windsor Castle banquet, Trump called the state dinner “one of the highest honors of my life.” In his toast, the president added that Charles had for decades “epitomized the fortitude, nobility and the spirit of the British monarchy and the British people.”

Beyond Washington: British officials said the four-day royal trip was planned to allow the king and queen to spend time outside the nation’s capital. In New York, the king will meet with young people in Harlem, while the queen tours a Winnie the Pooh exhibit at the New York Public Library. In Virginia, the king will attend a “block party” near the Shenandoah mountains, and the queen will visit a farm dedicated to the horse racing industry.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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