April 28, 2026

King Charles arrives at the White House.

I don't know why I find this so charming. I dreamed about King Charles last night. I felt sorry for that poor man somehow.

From Trump's speech: "For nearly two centuries before the revolution, this land was settled and forged by men and women who bore in their souls the blood and noble spirit of the British. Here on a wild and untamed continent, they set loose the ancient English love of liberty and Great Britain’s distinctive sense of glory, destiny, and pride. And that’s what it is: glory, destiny, and pride. The American patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776 were the heirs to this majestic inheritance. Their veins ran with Anglo-Saxon courage. Their hearts beat with an English faith in standing firm for what is right, good, and true. In recent years, we’ve often heard it said that America is merely an idea. But the cause of freedom did not simply appear as an intellectual invention of 1776. The American founding was the culmination of hundreds of years of thought, struggle, sweat, blood, and sacrifice on both sides of the Atlantic. Fate drew a long arc from the meadow at Runnymede to the streets of Philadelphia that ran through the lives of people born and bred on the British code that no man should be denied either justice or right.... In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British. We share that same root. We speak the same language. We hold the same values. And together, our warriors have defended the same extraordinary civilization under twin banners of red, white, and blue...."

I like the part about his mother: "My wonderful mother, Mary MacLeod — Mary MacLeod was born in Stornoway, in the Hebrides. And that’s what they call very serious Scotland. There’s no question about it. Some places they say, 'Well, it wasn’t really Scotland. The Hebrides, that’s real serious Scotland.'... And my mother — I just see it so clearly. She loved, and I told the King this, she loved the royal family and she loved the Queen. And anytime the Queen was involved in a ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television and she’d say, 'Look, Donald, look how beautiful that is.' She really did love the family. But I also remember her saying very clearly, 'Charles — look, young Charles, he’s so cute.' It’s my mother. My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it? Amazing. I wonder what she’s thinking right now...."

97 comments:

RCOCEAN II said...

What strikes me about the footage is how tall the First Lady is. And I feel sorry for King Charles too, because he'll not get much sympathy from Trump if he brings up the Falklands.

RCOCEAN II said...

Trump and King Charles are almost the same age but Trump looks much better.

Freder Frederson said...

Charles is poor, that's rich! Why do you care about a man that represents (and lauds) an archaic class system that believes your competence to rule is determined by who spit you out? Aren't we 250 years into the notion that such a system of government is obsolete?

Do you feel sorry for "poor Prince Andrew" too.

etbass said...

He deserves sympathy. He is the head of the Church of England and his country is fast becoming atheistic and muslim. The values are falling apart as people are being arrested for praying or expressing a common sense opinion. He can do nothing about it but is the head of what is becoming a pitiful creature, unrecognizable to anyone who is familiar with the Britain of Churchill's day.

Gusty Winds said...

It must be tough to be a pretend king like Charles, rather than a real king like Trump.

Bob Boyd said...

I dreamed about King Charles last night.

I hope that doesn't mean he's going to be our next President.

Heartless Aztec said...

Nary a "No Kings" protest to be seen. All is Quiet Along the Potomac Front.

Narr said...

Love some Handel in the morning.

Charles is a Muzzie-symp who will do precisely nothing to make Britain Great again, and the less said about his homely mattress consort the better.

tcrosse said...

Charles is the titular head of a land which is a Beacon of Freedom for Moslems everywhere. British people, not so much.

Achilles said...

RCOCEAN II said...
Trump and King Charles are almost the same age but Trump looks much better.

It helps you look better when you have your soul.

Achilles said...

King Charles is in the process of replacing his people with Muslims at the behest of his globalist masters.

For some reason the wef wants violent muslims terrorists to have nukes.

They lost Pakistan which is on our side now and Iran is being taken from them. Next up looks like Britain and France.

RCOCEAN II said...

Crush on young a Charles. LOL. I always thought he looked sorta goofy with the big ears, Beaky nose, and weak mouth.

He might have looked better with a beard or mustache ala George V.

Jimmy said...

Charles, the king who celebrated Ramadan instead of Easter?

Ann Althouse said...

I don't see how Charles could keep from crying. There were so many lines in that speech that were crafted to appeal to him emotionally. I watched his face, looking for emotion. He had to be very self controlled. Trump talking about his mother loving Charles's mother. The line "Look, Donald, look how beautiful that is" where "that" meant all of the ceremony surrounding Elizabeth. And then how Trump's mother admired Charles: "look, young Charles, he’s so cute." Perhaps that's melodramatic and Charles would prefer something more high-toned. Maybe he inured to Scottish ladies fussing over him.

Peachy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Peachy said...

Very Nice, Dignified. Respectful. Patriotic.

Compare and contrast to this.The Installed Puppet.

Dave Begley said...

'The American patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776 were the heirs to this majestic inheritance. Their veins ran with Anglo-Saxon courage. Their hearts beat with an English faith in standing firm for what is right, good, and true."

This will not go over well with the DEI crowd despite the fact that it is factually true.

Expect more Trump hate over this.

And I don't know where Trump gets the idea that he can utter wrongthink and ideas not approved of by the Left.

Peachy said...

Freder - Go to your ICE Watch-Antifa thug meeting and boil a rabbit.

Peachy said...

King Charles is not an elected offical. He is not importing Islamic supremacists - Starmer and his gang are.

john mosby said...

Prof: "I don't see how Charles could keep from crying."

Winston would have blubbered if an American prez gave him that speech!

Of course it almost sounds like one Winston would have written. Also echoes of Shakespeare's Sceptred Isle and Band of Brothers speeches. CC, JSM

Mr. T. said...

A King thats supports:

Grooming gangs
Islamist theocracy and terrorism.
Globalist authoritarianism bent on destruction of the middle class to enrich "green" grift oligarchs and corrupt bureaucrats
Rape of minors by incel leftist men cosplaying at women
Repressive crackdown on speech and criticism of HM goverment.
Support of labour UK officials who colluded with Jeffrey Epstein.

Yet nary a "No Kings!" screech from the left...

What does that say about the values the left also supports...?

john mosby said...

Too bad he didn't come last week. Trump could have made him celebrate St George's Day. Something he's not allowed to do in his own country. CC, JSM

John henry said...

British oath of allegiance. Note that it is not to Britain, the hypothetical constitution, the british people, the govt or even "the king" as an entity. It is to Chuck, personally. Like the fuhereroath the army had to swear to Hitler in Germany

“I, [name], swear by Almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III, his Heirs and Successors, according to law.”

As King, Chuck has absolute powers that would make Stalin blush with envy. CinC of the military (though not very meaningful these days), permits or forbids parliament from sitting, appoints his prime minister, and approves or vetoes all laws that parliament may pass.

He doesn't exercise these powers other than ceremonially. At least he maintains the illusion of not exercising these powers.

But if he decided to, there is nothing to stop him

So we have a hereditary king, with total powers who does not use them meeting an elected president with significantly fewer powers who is not afraid to use them.

Who is the power player and who is the nullity?

John Henry

John henry said...

Mr. T. said...

A King thats supports:

Yup. He has the power to stop them but chooses not to. That means he supports them.

John Henry

mccullough said...

No true Scotswoman except in Hebrides

gspencer said...

Special relationship? Who's kidding who?

gspencer said...

Chuck looks like he was into his cups this morning.

Dave Begley said...

Ann! Any comment on the Queen's outfit? I think it suits her and she can pull off that big hat thing.

bagoh20 said...

The way things are going he'll soon be king of just a tiny village in Northern Scotland.

Bob said...

Trump's speech sounds too eloquent to be his own words, so kudos to Trump for choosing a great speech writer.

Hassayamper said...

He doesn't exercise these powers other than ceremonially. At least he maintains the illusion of not exercising these powers... But if he decided to, there is nothing to stop him

That's not exactly true, if he fails to give Royal Assent and/or cancels its pending legislation by proroguing Parliament, the Parliament can still override him. In all likelihood it would mean the end of the monarchy, or at least his own time on the throne. If he didn't abdicate, the Labourites and their allies would probably depose him. It would be the Glorious Revolution of 1688 all over again.

The monarch's refusal to assent to the dictates of Parliament, to prorogue Parliament without the government's permission, or to abdicate outright, means he truly does possess great power. But much like nuclear weapons, it cannot be used for ordinary political disagreements, and runs a great risk of reprisal leading to "Mutual Assured Destruction".

Hassayamper said...

Trump's speech sounds too eloquent to be his own words, so kudos to Trump for choosing a great speech writer.

Yes, it stirred my English (and Welsh and Scottish) blood and almost made me forget how much I dislike modern British elite culture and how much I distrust the government of perfidious Albion.

FullMoon said...

WTF? King and Queen arrive in a German BMW, not a Rolls or Jag or Land Rover?

narciso said...

Saxe coburg thats the family name

John henry said...

If he didn't abdicate, the Labourites and their allies would probably depose him. It would be the Glorious Revolution of 1688 all over again.

Except, in 1688 you had a dozens of dukes and other nobles with their own armies loyal to them, rather than directly to the king. (Loyal to the king indirectly through the duke, of course)

Now the king is CinC of all armed forces. Nobody else has any troops to force Chuck to abdicate. The citizenry is disarmed so they can't rise up, other than with pitchforks. Not even the police, generally, are armed.

I don't see anyone in England who could force the king to abdicate if he didn't want to. And didn't care about a "Constitutional Crisis!!!"

Since the English Constitution is whatever people in charge say it is today, he could just say the Constitution permits it and it would be hard to prove him wrong. If he could get people on his side, the Constitution could magically be found to give the king real powers.

Military could not rise up. First because it has tuned out to be mostly non-existent and second because they have pledged unqualified loyalty to "King Charles III" If they failed to support him it would be, under English law, "Treason"

I doubt anything will happen. Chuck will go on and then die in a few years or age or cancer or something else. Willie will take over and continue the decline.

And, not my circus, not my monkey. England can go to Hell in a handbasket for all I care. Still fun to speculate as I lie abed at night.

Also fun, what if Harry (who may or may not be of royal blood) and Meghan became king and queen. That would be fun. Not for those living there but interesting to watch from afar.

John Henry

Known Unknown said...

"WTF? King and Queen arrive in a German BMW, not a Rolls or Jag or Land Rover?"

They're OG Germans.

Aggie said...

Now, the Queen was a class act from start to finish. Charles, well..... he's the kind of son that would make the Queen think about the fate of the country, and then look over at William.

RCOCEAN II said...

The King has no real power. If he tried to excercise his theoretical power, the labour Government would get rid of the Monarchy. i don't think the conservative party - no headed by a nigerian woman - would object.

John henry said...

FullMoon said...

WTF? King and Queen arrive in a German BMW, not a Rolls or Jag or Land Rover?

Rolls is wholly owned by BMW

Jag is wholly owned by Tata

Land Rover is wholly owned by Tata

Perhaps they could have arrived in a Morgan. They are still British. But with 2 seats so Chuck would have had to drive.

John Henry

RCOCEAN II said...

It'd be interesting to hear why he wished every one a happy ramadan but skipped the Easter greeting until pressured to. maybe he dislikes the C of E. Or he's a Chris Hitchens atheist.

RCOCEAN II said...

Very few Big UK Corporations are in fact British. Even the BBC seems prefer Jews, Americans, and Canadians to Englishmen.

RCOCEAN II said...

If the Brits need to do anything, its get rid of the house of lords. Absolutely useless. Thank God we got rid of titled Aristocrats. Othewise we'd have Lord Mitt Romney, Sir Joe Biden, and Lady Lindsey Graham.

Narr said...

The British monarch is "king/queen in Parliament" not just an individual who can do what he/she wants.

You can measure their importance in daily politics by studying how they were treated in moments of great crisis--say, the outbreaks of the German Wars of the early 20th C.

They were informed of events and decisions, not consulted.

Howard said...

Aston Martin's are British built as are McClaren's

Lazarus said...

If Charles crosses Parliament they could find plenty of ways short of actually taking away his throne and crown to make his life uncomfortable. I wonder, though, if Scotland goes and then Northern Ireland and Wales, what's left of the artificial country "the United Kingdom?" No union so why keep a king? The permanent seat in the UNSC goes as well. Now that the navy's so small, will the nuclear deterrent go as well?

The House of Lords is largely just a rubber stamp advisory board, like the Canadian or Australian Senates. Hereditary peers lost their seats, but were allowed to elect representatives from their number to sit in Lords. That ends this year. Starting next year it will be all life peers and bishops.

Frank V. said...

King Charles waved off about halfway through the reception line - threw his hands up to signal this is too much after having shaken five peoples hands. Whereas DJT came in behind him, shook everyone's hand and shared a comment with each. Class act.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Just that framing quote runs diametrically counter to the experiment going on in Britain today. An experiment the King appears to have wholeheartedly embraced.

rehajm said...

I don't know why I find this so charming. I dreamed about King Charles last night. I felt sorry for that poor man somehow

I’ll second this emotion….

Saint Croix said...

LOL.

I clicked on "emotional Althouse"

(me: Cruel and Neutral hasn't been emotional in two years at least!)

and I found out

1. "okay, okay, she likes the moon"
2. "I forgot about negative, okay, negative qualifies as an emotion," and I quadrupled my estimates
3. "I'm not reading Wuthering Heights and you can't make me"
4. oh no!

And I went to Amazon and I clicked on the link and I laughed out loud.

Freder Frederson said...

But if he decided to, there is nothing to stop him

Tell that to the bodyless head of Charles I.

Freder Frederson said...

WTF? King and Queen arrive in a German BMW, not a Rolls or Jag or Land Rover?

BMW owns Rolls Royce Cars (aerospace is still British owned), Jag and Land Rover are owned by Tata (Indian).

narciso said...

Charles reveals himself to be a skydragon worship

Kai Akker said...

Melania in a TKO by round 3.

John henry said...

Aston Martin is mainly Canadian owned, Howard.

John Henry

rhhardin said...

The Royals are a tourist attraction.

Marty said...

Gusty Winds says it best. Thanks, GW!

Josephbleau said...

Anglo Saxons ehh, the Celts were beaten by the Romans, beaten by the Anglo Saxons, beaten by the Normans, beaten by the Dutch, and infiltrated by the German noble families, and recently by Muslims. The Scots had little to do with Anglo Saxons, more so the Vikings.

The chain from Runnymede to Philadelphia kind of tugs the heart strings. That spirit never quite made it to India, too bad.

I am an ethnic Scot, but you have to face it, they were always chasing off on some clan vs clan scheme to rob, kill, and plunder. They were as bad as Iran. They raided their neighbors mercilessly and when defeated they promised to be good and then started over again.

They would never give up and pursued a failed strategy of Stewart regency. They fought so well they had to be completely destroyed and scattered over the Earth so that there could be civilization in the borders. And now they sing great old songs about how they were so mistreated for trying to kill everyone they knew.

They were too strong to survive in a modern world.

john mosby said...

ciso - actually Battenberg (Mountbatten). CC, JSM

Vance said...

So the party of No Kings! Was wildly applauding and cheering an actual king? Does anyone at all doubt that Democrats would rather be under the rule of King Charles than have Trump be the elected president?

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

King of the hill — I didn't appreciate King Charles comparing the New York Mets to the Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Howard said...

I guess the sun has set, John Henry

FullMoon said...

Rolls, Jag, L.R. manufactured england. BMW, germany.
BUT, I acknowledge my ignorance and appreciate update.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

narciso said...

The scots were the missionaries of the empire

FullMoon said...

Edited for clarity:
WTF? King and Queen arrive in a German BMW, not a (VINTAGE )Rolls or Jag or Land Rover?

Lazarus said...

Prince Philip's custom-built Land Rover hearse may still be giving Charles nightmares.

QE II's hearse was a custom-built Jaguar monstrosity, but then, maybe all hearses are cumbersome and ugly.

The word in both cases is that the royals helped design the vehicles themselves.

JaimeRoberto said...

I hope Trump gives Chuck a mix tape of his speeches. That would be real classy. Some say the classiest.

narciso said...

You know right

RCOCEAN II said...

Lord Mandelson. Reason 1001 to eliminate the House of Lords.

RCOCEAN II said...

Some Americans may be ignorant of how you become a "Sir" or "Lord" in the UK. Basically, the British PM puts you on a list and and King signs off and Poof you're a Lord or a Knight. In practice, that's meant any Businessman who gives enough money to Labour or the Conservatives ends up with a Peerage.

And any MP or Civil Servant who's been around long enough or knows the right people.

If we had the same system we'd be talking about Lord Alan Deshowitz and Lady Chelsea Clinton..

Curious George said...

"RCOCEAN II said...
Trump and King Charles are almost the same age but Trump looks much better."

Look who they wake up to.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

America has special relationship with Israel now, UK’s new US ambassador says ~ The Guardian

"Britain’s ambassador to Washington has said that America’s only “special relationship” is “probably Israel” not the UK."

This is astonishing--an ambassador speaking the truth. Kudos to Christian Turner -- one of the few adults in the room.

Narr said...

The Scots made up most of the educated UK diaspora--they were overrepresented as military officers and--famously--engineers.

By Victoria's day it was cool to be Scottish--the tartans that were banned in 1750 were worn by the most fashionable regiments of the army by 1850, and Brit monarchs have loved to dress up and play Scot ever since.

AZ Bob said...

The left will need a trigger warning before hearing Trump's speech.

"This will not go over well with the DEI crowd despite the fact that it is factually true."
--Dave Begley

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Vance said...

Did the King mention that his government is currently considering arresting an entire Christian church for the crime of... street preaching about Jesus? You know, King Charles, Defender of the Faith and Head of the Anglican church? No? I wonder why not.

RCOCEAN II said...

Special Relationship with Israel? That's one way of putting it. The congress is israeli occupied territory. They proudly fly Israeli flags, give the PM of Israel 25 standing O's and give them all the money they want.

We're Israel's colony. Trump doesn't make a move without telling Bibi what he's doing. And our Ambassador to Israel has lunch with a spy sentenced to 30 years in prison for selling our miltary secrets during the cold war. Lindsey Graham goes to Tel aviv every other weekend to enjoy "the nightlife". Other senators/congressman go to Israel every other month.

The US Congress is about to pass a law giving IDF soldiers committing war crimes in lebanon the same GI bill benefits as the USA soldiers.

But absolutely nothing Israel can do can make the American Pols and people not love them. Hopefully, they wont drop a H-bomb on us, because if they do "we'd deserve it".

narciso said...

The next stupid twit after mandelson, which is a tall order

RCOCEAN II said...

I always liked the Scots and enjoyed my visit to Scotland. Some very lovely people. So, I supported the SNP. Let scotland be scotland thought I. But Good God, what a PC leftwing shit show. If the SNP had been in power much longer they'd have imported 5 million muslims and Africans and given each the keys to Edinburgh.

Narr said...

An Anglophile friend of mine likes to speculate that Charles will declare himself Defender of the Faiths.

What a disaster that would be.

Indefinitely Extended Excursion™️ said...

Pitch perfect speech. There was an adult in that room for once.

King Charles III reminding the Republican Party what true conservatism looks like: stewardship of the natural world, checks and balances against executive power, and an appreciation of the world’s great faiths and traditions as opposed to narrow-minded Christian sectarianism.

The current occupant of the White House would probably be angry if he knew what the King was saying.

narciso said...

And mahmoud khalil was hamas man at the foreign office

narciso said...

Which faith (its not rhetorical)

narciso said...

Than again the Church of England is not what it used to be

narciso said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
narciso said...

London has become with a lord mayor something out of anthony burgess

narciso said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
john mosby said...

Ocean: "I supported the SNP. Let scotland be scotland thought I."

Yeah, Scotland only reaches its full potential as part of a UK. Before the Union, they were just a crappy little country. If they ever do become independent, they'll revert to a third-world nation that happens to be populated by white English(ish) speaking people. CC, JSM

john mosby said...

ciso: "Which faith (its not rhetorical)"

David Starkey riffed, about half-seriously, on this. He made a modest proposal that UK, which already has two very different established churches (the catholic CofE and the Presbyterian Scottish Kirk - he loves to say the King changes religions whenever he crosses the border), should take on Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, etc, as additional established churches - but only if the government can control them the way it controls the CofE. He analogizes to the way the al-Sauds or Erdogan control Islam in their countries. CC, JSM

john mosby said...

(I say my 7:46 comment as a patrilineal Scot. My ancestor left Fife in 1785. So I can say derogatory things about Scotland and the Scots.) CC, JSM

john mosby said...

My Italian ancestry also has some Scottish in it. My mother's mother's maiden name may be a corruption of a Scottish name. The railroads in Italy were built by British firms, in which the Scots were the architects, engineers, and skilled tradesmen (the Welsh and Cornish did the tunnelling, the Irish were crew bosses for local unskilled labor, and the English owned the company). This is why the soccer teams have English names, e.g. AC Milan = Athletic Club of Milan, not Club Atletico Milanese. Many of the Brits stayed, since the pound went farther and the girls were hot. CC, JSM

john mosby said...

The white-tie state dinner is going on right now. Trump and Charles are filling their speeches with a lot of humor and gentle shots. Charles brought the ship's bell from HMS Trump, a WWII Brit submarine! (Part of the "T-class" - all the names of the boats start with T) CC, JSM

john mosby said...

I just hope someone says "let us glaze our asses and roast the queer old dean!" CC, JSM

john mosby said...

Curious George: "Look who they wake up to."

Yeah, but you know Camilla is a nasty, nasty girl. CC, JSM

Iman said...

Congratulations, Mr. Mosby! You have just won a year’s supply of genuine haggis!

J Scott said...

One, accepting the Kingship as Charles the III and then all this, is just poor poor history on the part of us colonials. Chucky I and II are largely responsible for the eventual split. The Stewarts post James I and 6th were terrible Kings and autocrats.

Two, the "Scots" were never one people. There was the Celtic speaking group that ruled on both sides of the Irish sea, and remained catholic, remnants of Dál Riata, and then the Scots who were descendants of angle saxons who spoke Scots, which is related to English and were protestant post-reformation. Obviously the Norman-french upset that particular apple cart, hence all the Norman-french kings of Scotland.

I wonder what the covenanters would have made of our Walter Scott version of Scotland.

john mosby said...

J Scott: "Two, the "Scots" were never one people."

Och, sae true. And don't forget the islanders up north, who are basically Scandinavians. This intra-white diversity is yet another reason why Scotland doesn't do too well on its own. CC, JSM

The judge said...

Freder, I can’t only imagine the look on your mother’s face when she “spit you out”.

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