King Charles - job well done

Casdon

I don’t believe he says what he doesn’t mean, it’s more than ‘appearing’ supportive. I wouldn’t think much of him if he said things he didn’t subscribe to.

Agreed. the key words I would use of the tone of his speech were, "utterly sincere". Listen to it. And the response - well - has to be seen.

Reform on Ukraine: reduce our aid to them. Read on:

Key aspects of Reform UK's approach to the Ukraine conflict include:

Peace Negotiations & Concessions: Party leader Nigel Farage has stated that peace in Ukraine requires "concessions on both sides," refusing to rule out territorial concessions to achieve a deal.

Opposition to Escalation: Deputy Leader Richard Tice previously suggested Ukraine should not join NATO if it is a red line for Russia

T he party broadly opposes sending British troops or providing heavy, indefinite military support.
Shift in Funding: While supporting some aid, the party advocates cutting the overall overseas aid budget drastically to £1 billion a year, with only a portion allocated for Ukraine

Skepticism on Strategy: Reform UK supporters are skeptical of sustained British support, preferring to focus on domestic issues or align with potential US-led initiatives rather than acting within a European-led framework

I don’t believe he says what he doesn’t mean, it’s more than ‘appearing’ supportive. I wouldn’t think much of him if he said things he didn’t subscribe to.

Casdon

So what you’re saying MartavTaurus is that the King wrote his own speech, and therefore proves by his words that he’d be a Labour voter if he was an ordinary citizen. Yay to that.

I think Charles is thankfully discerning enough to appear supportive of any UK government, as was evident in my previous example under Sunak.

Casdon

The King’s speech was remarkably aligned to Labour principles and policies though Smileless2012, whoever wrote it. I bet it won’t go down too well with some of the UK media

Utterly so. Labour policies broadly speaking, but also those of Lib Dems and Greens. Since issues were not outlined in detail just general principles

Of course it would be congruent with government views and the written imput agreed between the writing draft and what Charles was prepared to say.re draft.

Reform would not have put wanted the climate bit in.

But utterly sincere since they are also the values of Charles himself.

So what you’re saying MartavTaurus is that the King wrote his own speech, and therefore proves by his words that he’d be a Labour voter if he was an ordinary citizen. Yay to that.

* The monarch then reviews, edits, and personalises it.

Well yes. It has been said he even tears it up and writes his own!

I am no royalist but I think KC hit the spot and it clearly struck a chord with his audience, lawmakers all who appeared to endorse his espousal of the rule of law. Let's hope they remember this when they are dealing with Trump's undemocratic excesses.
Clearly the government's message was centre stage in the speech and hopefully some British minds might also have been given food for thought.

I don't think the current government had much input in the King's speech on this occasion. For me it was quintessentially Charles, in that he always hits the spot in his unique and inimitable way. It was the same for his first speech as King in Berlin, and that was under a completely different government.
I think Charles did well. I, and many others, expected no less.

I’m guessing many Americans were glad to hear some sanity, at last.

We do know that.

It's how the speech is delivered which is as important as the content. It was extremely well received.

For information:

“King Charles wouldn’t have written today’s speech entirely by himself.

For a major speech like King Charles III addressing the U.S. Congress, it’s standard practice that:

* The speech is drafted collaboratively by palace staff, diplomats, and the UK government.
* It’s carefully aligned with foreign policy messaging and current events.
* The monarch then reviews, edits, and personalises it.

In fact, reporting around today’s speech explicitly notes it was “crafted in collaboration with the UK government” .

What that means in practice

* He likely had input, especially on themes he cares about (like the environment or interfaith dialogue).
* But the wording and messaging are heavily guided and vetted to avoid political missteps.
* This is especially true because the speech touched on sensitive issues like NATO, Ukraine, and US-UK tensions .

Bottom line

Think of it less as a personal speech and more as a jointly produced diplomatic address with his voice on top—not something he sat down and wrote alone.”

Chat GPT

I haven't heard it in full but very well done, King Charles.

Mission accomplished with grace and aplomb.

The King’s speech was remarkably aligned to Labour principles and policies though Smileless2012, whoever wrote it. I bet it won’t go down too well with some of the UK media

If he was aided by the government, it's a pity they don't aid KS with some of his.

I wonder if the speech would have been as challenging if he had been aided by our government; somehow I don't think so.

I would imagine that he didn’t write it on his own but was aided by our government, the one that some people think is useless and inept and aren’t dealing with Trump very well….

Sweetpeasue

Fully agree on your points Wyllow
I watched and thought our king delivered it eloquently.
I was especially pleased about his reminder of support for Ukraine.

That’s the worst of the ME crisis, some people have put Ukraine aside. For all of us, it remains the most crucial situation. Both are heartbreaking.

I had my doubts about the visit going ahead but am so pleased it did because our King did our country proud.

Fully agree on your points Wyllow
I watched and thought our king delivered it eloquently.
I was especially pleased about his reminder of support for Ukraine.

Hear, hear FGT I'm proud of him and the Queen standing with him.

The fact the most powerful man in the world of the world's most powerful nation views our Head of State with very uncommon enthusiasm and admiration (Trump does not like and admire many) is good news for this otherwise unimportant small island in the North Atlantic.

God bless and save our King. The most important man in the UK from a world perspective. His speech was just perfectly pitched today.

Will catch up later. Sounds very positive, though.