King Charles III acknowledged “times of great uncertainty” as he expressed gratitude to the American people and marked the 250th anniversary of independence from Britain in a speech to the U.S. Congress that highlighted the bonds between the two countries at a time of political turmoil.

“For all that time,” King Charles said, “our destinies have been interlinked.”

Two and a half centuries after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III arrived in the United States on Monday (April 27, 2026) with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight.

A shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday (April 25) sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit, intended to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship”.