King Charles praised US-UK ties at a White House state dinner on Tuesday, while President Donald Trump used his toast to claim the monarch agreed Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
The dinner in Washington, United States, came on the second day of Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit. Charles became only the second British monarch to address the US Congress earlier the same day.
Trump said the United States was doing “a little Middle East work” and claimed Charles agreed with him “even more than I do” on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Charles did not mention Iran in his remarks at the state dinner.
NOW – King Charles presents Trump with the original bell from the 1944 HMS Trump submarine as a gift at the White House state dinner. pic.twitter.com/AAqWueEPkZ
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) April 29, 2026
Charles used his speech to joke about Britain’s burning of the White House in 1814, calling it an “attempt at real estate redevelopment.” He also referred to French influence in North America, Winston Churchill’s reported encounter in the bathtub with Franklin D. Roosevelt, and NASA’s Artemis II mission.
@nicksortor 🚨 LMFAO! King Charles is dropping JOKES at the White House dinner tonight
"Thank you, Mr. President and Mrs. Trump for your splendid dinner this evening, which, may I say, is a VERY considerable improvement on the Boston Tea Party."
🤣🔥 pic.twitter.com/znQFAMWHIX
— Big Daddy (@big_daddy_27) April 29, 2026
The King presented Trump with the original bell from HMS Trump, a Royal Navy submarine that fought in the Pacific during the Second World War. Charles called the gift a symbol of shared history.
Read: Trump Iran Nuclear Claim Draws King Charles Into Row
The state dinner was held in the East Room after Trump insisted the event be held inside the White House rather than in a marquee. Guests included UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and golfer Rory McIlroy.
The menu included garden-vegetable velouté, spring herb ravioli, Dover sole meunière, and a beehive-shaped chocolate gateau made with White House honey.