# The reign of King Charles III of the United Kingdom **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 8, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232 "2022-09-08T18:05:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 108
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2144 "2026-04-29T09:32:49Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Ok, Brits, I need clarification here; it’s _very unusual_ for the monarch to be this outspoken in firmly-but-politely criticizing a foreign leader, right? I mean, I can’t imagine his mother reading a line like that. Brits regard these as the gentle elbow-ribbing jokes that they are, with subtle undertones. It’s how we roll. He’s not talking about current international politics. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2145 "2026-04-29T09:44:17Z")
A good point. The British are very good with subtle sarcastic humour. My mother and grandmother ate up “Carry On” films, and British sitcoms that were broadcast in Canada, and used British humour in everyday conversation. My sister picked up on the habit too. But Sis’s sense of British humour went completely over my ex-wife’s head (she was American). She was convinced that Sis was insulting me, when Sis was only looking for a laugh. I could manage a witty comeback; Wife still thought I was being insulted. That;s what Charles did today: use subtle British sarcastic humour to poke fun at the Trump regime. Just like with my ex-wife, it went completely over the Americans’ heads. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2146 "2026-04-29T11:26:24Z")
Do bear in mind that his speeches will have been developed by the Foreign Office in consultation with No 10 as well as the Palace. Drafts will have been bouncing back and forth for weeks, maybe months. Exactly how much comes from HM personally - we may never know. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2147 "2026-04-29T17:05:19Z")
Every word and phrase will have been weighed up for weeks by the Foreign Office and the Embassy for its implications. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2148 "2026-04-29T21:21:29Z")
Charles 3 is no puppet. Yes, the diplomats and politicians will have drafted his speech, but he will have injected his own ideas and personality into it. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2149 "2026-04-30T02:00:23Z")
Like Philip, but with restraint. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2150 "2026-04-30T08:57:55Z")
Someone seems to have some inside information on that speech: > **[How King Charles’s speech was written – and how to read it](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/29/how-king-charles-speech-written-how-to-read)** > > King’s carefully crafted address to US Congress was the result of close liaison with aides, No 10 and Foreign Office ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2151 "2026-04-30T11:40:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > Standing ovation for this line from King Charles > > [https://x.com/Acyn/status/2049208079846355307](https://x.com/Acyn/status/2049208079846355307) So they gave Charles a standing ovation–big fucking deal. The majority will still support everything trump does to spit on the rule of law and turn the USA into a whites-only dictatorship. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2152 "2026-04-30T11:53:59Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > So they gave Charles a standing ovation–big fucking deal. I respectfully disagree. Charles had a major role in crafting the speech, he had a lot to say, and he said it within the bounds of necessary diplomacy. I’m pretty sure that Trump is too stupid to understand most of it, but Charles did everything that was in his power to do to help Congress grow a spine. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2153 "2026-04-30T12:20:06Z")
He must have been aware that there were Republicans there, though. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2154 "2026-04-30T12:57:15Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Charles 3 is no puppet. Yes, the diplomats and politicians will have drafted his speech, but he will have injected his own ideas and personality into it. Mine understanding is that the British monarchs have no power at all. Not even the power to affect the content of their official speeches. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2155 "2026-04-30T13:22:05Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Charles did everything that was in his power to do to help Congress grow a spine. No criticism of Charles. I know exactly what he did. My point is that applause is cheap. If they truly appreciated what Charles said and **support** it, then let them act like it instead of just showing off. * * * * * * > [@Pleonast](#): > > Not even the power to affect the content of their official speeches. Seriously? I question that. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2156 "2026-04-30T13:27:10Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Mine understanding is that the British monarchs have no power at all. Not even the power to affect the content of their official speeches. Depends. At one extreme, there are his speeches to Parliament, usually delivered once a year, which are entirely written by the Government. (Those don’t contain jokes!) But most of his speeches are routine, very bland and usually uncontroversial. One assumes that his officials will run them past the relevant ministers and officials if they think there might be any issues, but usually won’t. The US speeches, like all his diplomatic speeches, are written by the Foreign Office. But that doesn’t mean that he will have no input. He can make suggestions if he wants and, by all accounts, he often does make them. But the Foreign Office isn’t obliged to accept them. This is just an extension of the basic constitutional principle that he can, in private, offer any advice he likes to the Government but that ministers are not required to accept it. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2157 "2026-04-30T13:34:04Z")
Charles is a smart, well-educated, mature man who has been around for a while, longer than most of his advisors. When he makes suggestions, they’re probably good ones. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2158 "2026-04-30T17:52:18Z")
From the article linked above by **PatrickLondon** : "Throughout the whole process, the king plays a major part in crafting. He makes marks by hand, in red ink, to drafts printed out for him, writing commentary in the margins at considerable length, adding things in and crossing things out. He will also have held meetings with [royal private secretary Sir Clive] Alderton on the subject. He is said to be good at jokes, with no need for a joke writer. Certainly there were many, which lightened the tough message…" ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2159 "2026-04-30T21:48:23Z")
King Charles gave Trump a bell with his name on it as a gift. > **[King Charles gifts president HMS Trump bell, jokes 'give us a ring' | Fox...](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394127548112)** > > King Charles III presented a WWII-era naval bell to President Donald trump during the state dinner. The monarch kept the mood light, drawing laughter with warm, well-timed jokes. Some are saying that this was a subtle dig; in England it’s understood that a bellend is a dickhead. > **[bell end | Slang | Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/culture/slang/bell-end)** > > A bell end is slang the head of a penis. It’s used in UK as an insult for a jerk or someone acting stupid or contemptibly. It’s a bit similar to calling someone a dickhead. Any truth that this is what was implied? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2160 "2026-04-30T23:37:21Z")
> # Decoding the King: Brits Hear Subtle Rebuke to Trump that Americans Might Miss > > _Royal watchers in Britain called the visit of King Charles III to America a master class in understated criticism._ > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/world/europe/king-charles-visit-trump-messages.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.e1A.kocg.b2\_Ju3TnKEP8&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/world/europe/king-charles-visit-trump-messages.html?unlocked_article_code=1.e1A.kocg.b2_Ju3TnKEP8&smid=url-share) > The reviews are in: The British press say King Charles III delivered a masterful diplomatic rebuke of President Trump this week, in an ever-so-polite royal way. > > “King delivers hard truths” read a [headline](https://www.dailymail.com/news/royals/article-15772361/King-Charles-state-visit-Congress-speech-Donald-Trump.html) in the Daily Mail, praising him for urging the United States to defend NATO and Ukraine. A journalist at The Sun [called him](https://x.com/MrHarryCole/status/2049177898343411894) “Britain’s No.1 diplomat.” The Independent [said](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/king-charles-donald-trump-speech-congress-b2967052.html) Charles chided Mr. Trump with a “combination of eloquence and élan,” speaking in “such nuanced and sophisticated terms that even Trump and his volatile supporters could not take offense.” The New Statesman said it was “politics couched in regal tones.” > > To many Americans, the sharp edges of the king’s seemingly tactful message may not have been apparent. And even Mr. Trump seems to have been **oblivious** to the fact that Charles was gently taking him to task… My bold. WHAT??? Trump oblivious?? Say it isn’t so! 😱 > … > To many British observers, the king’s public speeches this week — deliberate messages, carefully composed with the help of diplomats and others in the government — were far stronger than expected, at several moments directly contradicting Mr. Trump’s policies and his administration’s approach to the world. > > There were undeniable efforts during the king’s [speech to Congress](https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-us-congress-speech-9ff638ae63a41289dbd9ebfbb550e40e) to push back against the president’s attacks on Prime Minister Keir Starmer (“As my prime minister said last month: ‘Ours is an indispensable partnership,” said Charles), as well as comments championing NATO and the need for a “stable and accessible” rule of law. > > … > > Zooming in on the video to look at the king and queen’s expressions reveals perfect poker faces — not betraying whatever they might be thinking. Which is something that Charles, in particular, has been trained to do all his life. > … Damn-- I’d love to know what Charles and Camilla said about trump when they got back to their room. Do you think the FBI bugged the room? Nah, this FBI wouldn’t think of doing that. J. Edgar would have. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2161 "2026-05-01T00:15:41Z")
You can reasonably assume K & Q are more professional than that. Idjit trump and co? Not a chance. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2162 "2026-05-01T00:34:57Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The majority will still support everything trump does to spit on the rule of law and turn the USA into a whites-only dictatorship. Yeah, how long after J6 did they stay scared shitless before they went back to handing Trump everything he wanted? > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > If they truly appreciated what Charles said and **support** it, then let them act like it instead of just showing off. [Acta, non verba](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/acta,_non_verba). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232/2163 "2026-05-01T14:21:23Z")
_InStyle_: King Charles and Queen Camilla Break Several Royal Protocols at U.S. State Visit > **[King Charles and Queen Camilla Break Several Royal Protocols at U.S. State...](https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/king-charles-queen-camilla-break-121909451.html)** > > The royal couple wrapped up their first visit to the U.S. since taking the throne on April 30. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232.md?page=107) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-reign-of-king-charles-iii-of-the-united-kingdom/971232.md?page=109)