Blending humour with history, King Charles III turned a White House toast into a witty reminder of Anglo-American ties.
King Charles III delivered a light-hearted yet sharp-witted history lesson at the White House dinner on Tuesday, playfully roasting US President Donald Trump by suggesting that, without British intervention in North America, Americans might well be speaking French.
The exchange unfolded as the two leaders struck a warm tone on the “special relationship” between the UK and the US, despite underlying tensions over the war in Iran. The British monarch used the moment to refer to Trump’s earlier remarks on European allies and defence spending.
“You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” King Charles said, drawing loud laughter from the audience.
He was referring to the colonial-era rivalry between Britain and France in North America, long before US independence, when the two powers battled for territorial dominance across the continent.
The quip also nodded to Trump’s remarks at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January, where he said that without American intervention in World War II, Europeans would be “speaking German and a little Japanese”.
Charles continued with a series of self-deprecating jokes, including a reference to British troops burning down parts of the White House during the Burning of Washington in 1814. “We British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House,” he said, drawing laughter from guests.
He also quipped that the evening marked “a very considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party,” referencing the historic protest against British taxation.
Trump, known for his admiration of the British royal family, responded with humour of his own, largely aimed at domestic politics. He congratulated the king on his earlier address to Congress, joking, “He got the Democrats to stand — I’ve never been able to do that.”
The British King marked the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain with gratitude that the two countries united to build “one of the most consequential alliances in human history” while urging “that we ignore the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.”
Addressing the joint session of the US Congress, Charles repeatedly highlighted the historical and cultural ties that he said have cemented an enduring bond between the United States and the United Kingdom.
