King Charles condemns attempted assassination of Trump in historic address to Congress: Live updates

King Charles condemned acts of political violence in the wake of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on Saturday.

‘So, ladies, gentlemen, you meet in times of great uncertainty in times of conflict, from Europe to the Middle East, which pose immense challenges for the international community and whose impact is felt in communities,’ he said.

‘We meet two in the aftermath of the incident, not far from this great building that sought to harm the leadership of your nation and to foment wider fear and discord,’ he continued.

‘Let me say with unshakable resolve, such acts of violence will never succeed.’

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A man dressed as George Washington listened to King Charles III speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House Chamber while US Vice President JD Vance and US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson listened behind him.

King Charles quoted Donald Trump during his speech to Congress.

‘As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, “The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,”‘ Charles said.

‘The Alliance that our two Nations have built over the centuries – and for which we are profoundly grateful to the American people – is truly unique.

‘And that alliance is part of what Henry Kissinger described as Kennedy’s soaring vision of an Atlantic partnership based on twin pillars: Europe and America. That partnership, I believe Mr. Speaker, is more important today than it has ever been.’

Despite facing calls to address the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, King Charles did not directly acknowledge them during his address to Congress.

However, he did include a nod to ‘victims’ of ‘ills’ that exist in society.

‘In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today,’ he said.

King Charles and Queen Camilla greeted lawmakers after he spoke to Congress.

King Charles, an outspoken environmentalist, urged Congress to protect America’s environment and natural wonders.

‘The natural wonders of the United States of America are indeed a unique asset, and generations of Americans have risen to this calling,’ he said.

‘Indigenous, political and civic leaders, people in rural communities and cities alike have all helped to protect and nurture what President Theodore Roosevelt called the glorious heritage of this lands extraordinary, natural splendor, on which so much of its prosperity has always depended.’

The King continued, ‘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.

‘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.’

King Charles reflected on the importance of NATO in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks and said the same support must be shown to Ukraine.

‘This year, of course, also marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. This atrocity was a defining moment for America, and your pain and shock were felt around the whole world,’ he said.

‘During my visit to New York, my wife and I will again pay our respects to the victims, the families, and the bravery shown in the face of terrible loss. We stood with you then and we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day that shall never be forgotten.’

The King added, ‘In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked article five for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century.

‘Shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the cold war, Afghanistan, and moments that have defined our shared security today. Mr. Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people it is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.’

Members of Congress applauded King Charles for his remarks on checks and balances.

‘Our declaration of rights of 1689 was not only the foundation of our constitutional monarchy, but also provided the source of so many of the principles reiterated, often verbatim, in the American bill of rights of 1791. And those roots go even further back in history,’ he said.

‘The US Supreme court historical society has calculated that magna carta is 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.’

King Charles joked about the young age of the United States of America.

‘The founding fathers were bold and imaginative rebels with a cause. 250 years ago, or, as we say in the United Kingdom just the other day,’ he said.

‘They declared independence by balancing contending forces and drawing strength in diversity. They united 13 disparate colonies to forge a nation on the revolutionary idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

‘They carried with them and carried forward the great inheritance of the British enlightenment, as well as the ideals which had an even deeper history in English common law and magna carta. These roots run deep, and they are still vital.’

King Charles said the relationship between the US and the UK is stronger because it was born out of dispute.

‘The very principle on which your congress was founded, no taxation without representation was at once a fundamental disagreement between us, and at the same time a shared democratic value which you inherited from us,’ he said.

‘Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it.’

King Charles joked about British and US history during his Congressional address.

‘This is by no means my first visit to Washington, DC, the capital of this great republic. It is, in fact, my 20th visit to the United States and my first as king and head of the commonwealth,’ he said.

‘This is a city which symbolizes a period in our shared history, or what Charles Dickens might have called a tale of two Georges. The first president, George Washington, and my five times great grandfather, king George the third, king George, as you know, never set foot in America.

‘And please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action.’