King Charles III is set to address a joint meeting of Congress this afternoon, in which he will say the U.S. and U.K. may not always agree, but “have always found ways to come together.”
The rare address by a British monarch to Congress will take place during the king’s four-day official state visit to the U.S., which is continuing as planned despite the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting on Saturday night. It will be just the second time a British monarch has ever addressed Congress.
The king is expected to say that the two countries can work together to promote security, reflecting that “our defense, intelligence and security ties are measured not in years but in decades.”
President Trump held a closed-door meeting with Charles in the Oval Office on Tuesday, amid tense relations between the U.S. and U.K. over the Iran war. After the meeting, Trump escorted the royals to their car, which was bound for Capitol Hill ahead of Charles’s speech. The president then spoke briefly with reporters, saying, “It was a really good meeting. He’s a fantastic person. They’re incredible people and it’s a real honor.”
After Charles’s speech, the royals will head back to the White House for this evening’s state dinner.
Trump and the first lady welcomed the royal couple on a dreary Tuesday morning with a traditional military arrival ceremony on the White House South Lawn. “What a beautiful, British day this is,” Trump quipped at the start of his welcoming remarks, referring to frequently rainy weather in the U.K.
The four-day trip includes stops in Washington, D.C., New York and Virginia, and will conclude on Thursday, April 30.
