BBC:
King Charles III’s visit to the US was meant to be a celebration – of America’s 250th anniversary, of enduring Anglo-American ties and of the “special relationship”. But it has also been billed as a rescue mission.
The current state of US-UK relations is strained – a reflection of British reluctance to fully back the joint US-Israeli war against Iran. So the King’s goal has been to ease those tensions with a royal charm offensive, most notably with his joint address to Congress on Tuesday afternoon.
There is some reason for hope. President Donald Trump has a notably mercurial personality. Warm relations can turn chilly in a flash. But the reverse is also true, and former antagonists can be rehabilitated, welcomed once again into the president’s good graces.
A strain is not a rupture. And towards the end of his speech, the King spoke of the “reconciliation and renewal” that he said characterised the centuries of interactions between the two nations.
Whether such words in public and, in all likelihood, behind closed doors will be enough to reinforce the Anglo-American alliance remains to be seen. But, in brief remarks after an afternoon White House meeting, Trump appeared pleased.
“He’s a fantastic person,” the president said of the King. “They’re incredible people and it’s a real honour.”
But there were also some lines in the King’s speech, the first royal address to Congress since Queen Elizabeth II spoke at the Capitol in 1991, that may have buoyed Democrats – and raised eyebrows in the White House.
