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UK and US always find ways to come together, King Charles to tell Congress | King Charles III

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King Charles is expected to allude to recent strains between the UK and US in a rare address by a monarch to the US Congress as he will underline that “time and again our two countries have always found ways to come together”.

The king’s remarks in a speech to both houses on Tuesday will come after Donald Trump has threatened to tear up a trade deal signed by the UK and US, mocked the Royal Navy and insulted the UK prime minister.

Donald Trump’s anger with the UK and Keir Starmer is largely driven by the latter’s refusal to take part in the US and Israeli offensive against Iran, which continues to destabilise the global economy.

Charles and Camilla are in Washington on a four-day state visit to the US to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from the UK.

In his speech, the king is expected to reflect that while the UK and US have not always agreed on all matters over the past 250 years, the foundations of their “democratic, legal and social traditions” – stretching all the way back to Magna Carta – are such that “time and again our two countries have always found ways to come together”.

Donald Trump and Melania host King Charles III and Queen Camilla for afternoon tea at the White House on day one of their State Visit. Photograph: Pool/SH/WireImage

As Trump threatens to impose “a big tariff” on the UK if it does not drop its digital services tax on US technology companies, Charles will reference the importance of trade and technology deals that will play a vital part in the two countries’ continued economic partnership.

The start of the trip – Charles’s first to America as king – has been overshadowed by an assassination attempt against Trump at a Washington media dinner on Saturday night.

The monarch is expected to make brief reference to the attack and offer “the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States” on the 250th anniversary of American independence.

It is only the second time a British monarch has addressed a joint meeting of Congress, after Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1991.

The king will point out how the US and UK have stood together through moments that have defined their shared history, and that “our defence, intelligence and security ties are measured not in years but in decades”.

As the war on Iran drives up the cost of living around the world, an effect that critics have called “Trumpflation”, Charles is expected to say that by defending and reaffirming their common values and ideals, the US and UK can promote security and prosperity now and in the future for the benefit of the world.

King Charlesand Camilla with Donald Trump andMelania Trump alongside a replica beehive at the White House. Photograph: Getty Images

He will hail America’s natural wonders and stress how important it is to defend and protect “nature’s own economy”.

Referring to his faith, he will express his belief that in the hearts of the two countries lies “a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value people of all faiths and none”.

He is expected to conclude by noting that the story of both nations over the last 250 years is one of “reconciliation and renewal”, giving rise to “one of the greatest alliances in human history”, which he hopes will continue to safeguard their shared values long into the future.

The speech, which has been written on the advice of the government, is expected to last 20 minutes.



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Royal Ascot 2026, day three: news, tips and more on Gold Cup day – live | Royal Ascot

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Key events

Greg Wood

Greg Wood

Gosden and O’Brien rivalry crackles in Gold Cup

The rivalry between top trainers John Gosden and Aidan O’Brien is a long way short of a feud – “Aidan and I are big rivals”, Gosden said on Wednesday, “but we get on and we tease each other a lot. There’s no harm in that and it’s a little bit of banter.”

But it still makes for an interesting undercurrent as Gosden’s Trawlerman, bidding to become only the second eight-year-old winner since 1900, takes on the up-and-coming Scandinavia, last year’s St Leger winner, in the feature event of the week.

Gosden’s “teasing” has included frequent references to the big teams of runners that Ballydoyle sends to many Group Ones, and when O’Brien suggested last autumn that he would love to see Ombudsman, the winner of Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes, line up for the Irish Champion Stakes, Gosden responded that his stable star would not “appreciate running against multiple entries from one stable on a track with a short straight.”

The possibility that Ballydoyle was employing “team tactics” with its runners was also highlighted after Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes, when Christophe Soumillon, on the O’Brien second-string, Puerto Rico, picked up an eight-day ban for riding “in a manner to benefit” his stable companion and second-favourite, Gstaad.

There is little chance of a dust-up over tactics in the Gold Cup, however, as Scandinavia is O’Brien’s only runner in the race and Trawlerman is likely to make his own running. The regular to-and-fro between the two trainers, though, will add extra spice to the closing stages if Trawlerman and Scandinavia are duking it out in the final furlong.

The Princess of Wales presenting the prize for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes to John Gosden on Wednesday. Photograph: Sam Mellish/Getty Images
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Interest rates kept on hold at 3.75%

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The Bank last cut interest rates in December but upheaval in the Middle East has stalled any further reductions.



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US to review benefits of having troops in Europe with ‘era of free-riding’ over – Europe live | World news

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US to conduct a review of forces in Europe

Hegseth says the US will be “doubling down” on its efforts to get allies to spend what they need to spend.

He says his department will conduct a six-month review of US forces in Europe.

He says it will look at actual benefits of having US military in Europe – and will be a real review.

“It will be designed to ensure that Nato is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defence of Europe.”

He then goes further to say that the US dues to the Nato budget will be contingent on other countries meeting their defence spending targets.

Where other allies do not spend with urgency, our dues, contributions will go down. Nato will be a two-way street.”

He adds:

“America cannot care for or pay more for Europe’s defence than our allies do.”

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US defence secretary urges UK to spend more on defence, ‘step up and do even more’

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has also offered his view on the relationship with the UK, after meeting Britain’s new defence minister Dan Jarvis.

His predecessor resigned in protest against low government spending on defence.

Hegseth said it was “a good meeting,” stressing that “the US-British defence alliance is an important one.”

He praised Jarvis for having first-hand experience of serving in a combat zone.

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth (L) and British secretary of state for defence Dan Jarvis (R) look on before posing for the official press photo during the Nato defence ministers’ meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Photograph: Omar Havana/Getty Images

But he said “the message was the same: hey, we need you guys to step up and do even more, spend even more.”

He added:

“If we need access and basing, whether it’s in the UK or say at Diego Garcia, we can’t live in a world where other countries are standing at the end of a runway with a clipboard trying to decide what flies and what doesn’t. It’s not gonna, it’s not gonna work for us. It’s not good in contingencies, and I don’t think it’s what he wants either.”

He continued saying that “the more the UK spends on defence, the stronger Nato is going to be, the stronger western civilization is, and that’s a good thing.”

“I think [it was] a good start to a relationship that we need to renew even more,” Hegseth said.

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