Welcome to the Resistance, King Charles III!
While Trump sulked about his ballroom, the British monarch defended democratic values
If Peter Morgan ever decides to reboot The Crown, this week provided an entire season’s worth of drama.
On Monday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived for a four-day state visit to the United States to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the document that marked the end of British rule of the American colonies. The monarch spoke before a joint session of Congress, dined at the White House, visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, checked out a community garden in Harlem, swung by a block party in Virginia, and generally behaved like a true statesman, despite his officially apolitical role.
Charles shares much in common with our doddering commander-in-chief, Donald Trump. Both are philandering septuagenarians with strong opinions on architecture. Both are currently grappling with uncomfortably close connections to Jeffrey Epstein (though only one has moved to make amends for it). And both have been dogged by questions about their health — including what the heck is going on with their hands.
But the differences between these two aging nepo babies were more evident this week, when Charles, a man who doesn’t even squeeze his own toothpaste out of the tube, came off as more down-to-earth and more in tune with the ills facing the world than the wannabe king in the White House.
The unstated (yet unmistakable) purpose of Charles’ visit was to smooth the recently frayed “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and its erstwhile colony. In that regard, it was a smashing success. Charles, a man not exactly renowned for his charisma, wowed Congress, delivered an uproarious royal roast at Tuesday’s state dinner, and flattered Trump with his mere presence. At the tender age of seventy-seven, it seems that Charles has finally stepped out of his late mother’s shadow and found his voice on the world stage.
The king arrived two days after a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner, a destabilizing act of political violence that Trump — who is now in full-blown Louis XIV mode — immediately seized upon to make the case for his $400 million ballroom. By contrast, Charles, who could personally spring for at least two of those gilt ballrooms, has pushed to streamline the monarchy and cut back on royal spending. And unlike Trump, he hasn’t put his face on any passports.
Trump, meanwhile, behaved with his usual boorish ignorance, doing everything in his power to embarrass the country and make us wonder if British rule was really so bad after all. In his welcome remarks, Trump sounded racist dog whistles by praising the “Anglo-Saxon courage” that ran through the veins of the American colonists. He later cut in front of Camilla in a receiving line, then violated royal protocol and basic dignity by sharing what Charles supposedly said to him in private regarding Iran.
The nadir arrived when the White House account tweeted a picture of Charles and Trump with the caption “Two kings.”
It was pure rage bait, designed to antagonize the millions of Americans who’ve turned out at explicit #NoKings protests across the country over the last two years. And it only emphasized the fact that this week Charles, an actual king, made a more forceful case for liberal democracy than the supposed leader of the free world has ever done.
Speaking before Congress, Charles — a direct descendant of King George II — celebrated the “bold and imaginative rebels” who founded the country. He praised the leadership of presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. He described the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. as one of “the most consequential alliances in human history.”
Charles peppered his 30-minute speech with subtle digs at the MAGA worldview. He urged “unyielding resolve” in defense of Ukraine and spoke about the importance of NATO. He encouraged members of Congress to ignore “the clarion calls to become ever more inward-looking.” And he drew a standing ovation — from Democrats — when he noted the principle, rooted in the Magna Carta, “that executive power is subject to checks and balances.” (Subtext: you need to rein this guy in — or else!)
Either Trump didn’t pick up on the jabs, didn’t perceive them as such, or didn’t care. During a photo op Thursday, the president pointed at Charles and called him “the greatest king in my book.” (It’s not clear who else was in contention.)
A reporter then asked Charles what he thought of “the Trump renaissance here in DC — all the improvements?”
“Ah,” said the king. “We shall see.”
Meredith Blake is the culture columnist for The Contrarian
I am not a fan of Charles, but kudos to him for his behavior during the entire state visit. But of course our orange dumpster learned absolutely nothing from him, since he is the smartest, prettiest, tallest, greatest, etc. of all time.
Trump is a national embarrassment. He didn’t learn anything from King Charles III.