King to Congress: 'Our Destinies Have Been Interlinked'

King Charles III acknowledged "times of great uncertainty" as he expressed gratitude to the American people and marked the 250th anniversary of independence from Britain in a speech to Congress that highlighted the bonds between the two countries at a time of political turmoil. "For all that time," Charles said, "our destinies have been interlinked." Charles is only the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered a similar speech in 1991, highlighting the historic ties between the two countries and the importance of their democratic values.

• The king picked up on those themes during his remarks on Tuesday, which were delivered in a far different environment than when his mother spoke to the same chamber in the US Capitol, the AP reports. President Trump is in open conflict with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the war in Iran. Many of the lawmakers in the room were at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, which was disrupted by a shooting that authorities have described as an attempted assassination against Trump. "Let me say with unshakeable resolve," Charles said. "Such acts of violence will never succeed."

• Even as the king focused on common interests, there were subtle nods at issues that have divided the US and the UK, particularly when it comes to global affairs. He said the countries "cannot rest on past achievements" as the Iran war tests their relationship. And he urged "unyielding resolve" in backing Ukraine against Russia, while heralding the NATO alliance that Trump has repeatedly undermined. Charles received multiple standing ovations during the 30-minute speech and there was "thunderous applause" after his Ukraine remarks, the Telegraph reports.
• He received another standing ovation after he said the Magna Carta, a foundational 1215 British legal document, has been cited in "at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances." The reference "appeared to be a swipe" at Trump, reports Politico.

• Charles devoted a large part of his speech to environmentalism, praising what Teddy Roosevelt called "the glorious heritage of this land's extraordinary natural splendor, on which so much of its prosperity has always depended," the New York Times reports. "Yet even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems which threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of nature," he said, per the Guardian. "We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems, in other words, nature's own economy, provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security."
• Charles has faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims of Jeffrey Epstein while he is in the US. He didn't make a direct mention of the sex offender in his speech to Congress, but did reference the "collective strength" in the US and the UK to "support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today." Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the king's younger brother, has been urged to testify to House investigators on his longstanding friendship with Epstein.
• Earlier Tuesday, Charles had a private meeting with Trump at the White House.