The King said the US and the UK must support victims of sexual abuse in the wake of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in a historic speech to Congress.
Charles and the Queen have faced calls to meet survivors of paedophile Epstein during their stay in the US, but are not doing so because of ongoing legal cases, including the arrest of the King’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Without referring to Epstein directly, the King said: ‘In both of our countries, it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.’
The King referred to his Christian faith and lifelong focus on interfaith understanding, adding: ‘It is why it is my hope – my prayer – that, in these turbulent times, working together and with our international partners, we can stem the beating of ploughshares into swords.’
Charles, whose visit takes place against the backdrop of the Iran war, also stressed the importance of peace.
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‘I believe with all my heart, that the essence of our two nations is a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace,’ the King said.
The King, in reference to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a Washington media dinner just days ago, said: ‘We meet, too, in the aftermath of the incident not far from this great building that sought to harm the leadership of your nation and to foment wider fear and discord.
‘Let me say with unshakeable resolve: such acts of violence will never succeed.
‘Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries.’
The King said the UK and US had ‘always found ways to come together’.
Charles said: ‘With the Spirit of 1776 in our minds, we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree – at least in the first instance.’
He added: ‘Ours is a partnership born out of dispute, but no less strong for it… So perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our Nations are in fact instinctively like-minded – a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day.
‘Drawing on these values and traditions, time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together.
‘And by Jove, Mr Speaker, when we have found that way to agree, what great change is brought about – not just for the benefit of our peoples, but of all peoples. This, I believe, is the special ingredient in our Relationship.’
He quoted President Donald Trump’s remarks on his state visit to the UK last September when Mr Trump called the bond between the two nations ‘irreplaceable and unbreakable’.
This reference prompted another standing ovation and applause in the chamber.