The British king began with a quote from an Irishman who was not always cherished by the royal family, Oscar Wilde.
"We really have everything in common with the United States except, of course, the language," said the King, and was met with laughter and prolonged applause.
Shared values
The dominant theme during the speech was American history, the fact that it has been 250 years since the independence of the United States was proclaimed, and the friendship between the two countries.
Regardless of our differences, regardless of differences of opinion, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect our people from harm.
But, Charles said, an alliance cannot simply rest on past achievements. He therefore stressed the need to support Ukraine in the war against Russia and the importance of the defense alliance NATO.
King Charles was the second British monarch to address the US Congress. His mother Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1991, and Charles commented that the world situation today is more troubled than it was then.
- "I pray with all my heart that our friendship will continue to defend our shared values, with our partners in Europe and in the Commonwealth, and across the world, and that we resist the calls to turn inward."
Protect nature
The talk about NATO may have been a jab at President Donald Trump, who has questioned the alliance, but the king, as expected, did not otherwise step into the political minefield.
However, the nature-loving king took the opportunity to warn against environmental destruction, and his publicly expressed values often do not align with Trump's policies.
"As we look ahead to the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared responsibility to protect nature, our most precious and irreplaceable resource," the King said.
