WASHINGTON – King Charles lightened the atmosphere at a White House state dinner with a humorous historical remark directed at Donald Trump, suggesting that the former US president might have been “speaking French” had Britain not played its role in history.
Responding to Trump’s earlier comment that Europe would be speaking German without US intervention during World War II, King Charles said: “Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German. Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,”.
He immediately followed the comment with a smile, noting that both nations share friendly ties with France, which prompted laughter among guests at the event.
The exchange came during a formal state dinner held as part of ongoing diplomatic engagements, which also carried a generally serious tone amid wider geopolitical discussions between the two countries.
Earlier in the evening, Trump suggested that King Charles agreed with his position on Iran’s nuclear programme, stating that the monarch supported his view that Tehran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. However, Buckingham Palace later clarified that the King remains aligned with the UK government’s established policy on nuclear non-proliferation and did not address Iran during the dinner.
Following their Washington programme, King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to travel to New York, where they will visit the 9/11 memorial ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and meet first responders and families of victims.
