King Charles became the first British king to address Congress, following Queen Elizabeth's 1991 speech
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The King highlighted global challenges and emphasized the importance of U.S.-U.K. alliances during his historic address
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Queen Camilla supported him during the speech, which received multiple standing ovations
King Charlesargued that the world is a more treacherous place than it was duringQueen Elizabeth's last Congressional address when he spoke at the United States Capitol.
On April 28, the King, 77, addressed a joint meeting of Congress in a highly anticipated engagement of his state visit to the U.S.
The King and his wife,Queen Camilla, are spending four days in the U.S. this week for an official state visit commemorating America's 250th, and he called out how the state of the world has shifted since his late mother last spoke at the Capitol in 1991.
The sovereign cited how his grandfather, King George VI, was the first British monarch to officially visit the U.S. in 1939 when "the forces of fascism in Europe were on the march," but before the U.S. got involved, noting that ultimately "our shared values prevailed."
"Today, we find ourselves in a new era, but those values remain," King Charles said in his speech in Washington, D.C. "It is an era that is, in many ways, more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which my late mother spoke, in this Chamber, in 1991."
"The challenges we face are too great for any one nation to bear alone. But in this unpredictable environment, our alliance cannot rest on past achievements or assume that foundational principles simply endure," he continued.
"As my prime minister said last month: ‘Ours is an indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained us for the last eighty years. Instead, we must build on it,' " he said, quoting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The King's comment that the world is now "more volatile and more dangerous" than it was in 1991 comes as the U.K. and U.S. take different positions on the war in Iran. The conflict has driven a distance between the nations, putting pressure on the King's diplomatic trip to help improve relations.
King Charles' state visit also continuedafter a shooting happened at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. On April 25, a gunman opened fire near the press event, which PresidentDonald Trump, first ladyMelania Trumpand other prominent political figures attended.
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A Buckingham Palace spokespersonconfirmed the next day that the diplomatic trip would continue, and PEOPLE understands that King Charles and Queen Camilla privately contacted the Trumps.
The King spoke about the startling shooting, the historic relationship between the U.S. and U.K., America's 250th, today's global political climate and more in his sweeping speech, which was a historic address.
King Charlesbecame just the second British sovereign in history to address Congresswhen he spoke on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who spoke at the U.S. Capitol in May 1991. That trip proved to be the third of four state visits the Queen would make to the states during her record 70-year reign and she similarly hinted that diplomatic relations are the only true way forward in her address there.
"Some people believe that power grows from the barrel of a gun. So it can. But history shows that it never grows well, nor for very long. Force, in the end, is sterile," Queen Elizabeth said then.
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"We have gone a better way. Our societies rest on mutual agreement, on contract, and on consensus. A significant part of your social contract is written down in your Constitution. Ours rests on custom and will. The spirit behind both, however, is precisely the same. It is the spirit of democracy. These ideals are clear enough, but they must never be taken for granted," she said.
King Charles' Congressional address was interrupted with over a dozen rounds of applause, many of them standing ovations.
Queen Camillasupported him during his speech in the House Chamber, and a palace spokesperson said that the sovereign was moved by the warm response.
"The King was deeply honored to have been invited to be the first British King to give such an address and was greatly touched by the warmth and generosity of the response he received," the spokesperson said.
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