King Charles III just roasted Donald Trump during a lavish state banquet put on by the US President to commemorate the British monarch’s visit to the US.
The King, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, touched down in Washington DC on Monday afternoon (27 April) for a four-day state trip, where they’re spending time between the capital, New York, and Virginia with the Republican leader and First Lady Melania Trump.
Last night (28 April), on the second day of their visit across the pond, the royal couple attended a White House state dinner inside the East Room, where they tucked into a swanky four-course meal.
In attendance were over 100 guests, such as the president’s cabinet and the King’s aides, as well as a number of famous faces such as golfer Rory McIlroy, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Both Trump and Charles gave speeches to the room, which included a number of jokes that earned a laugh from those attending.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit continues (Samir Hussein/Getty Images)
During his light-hearted toast, the King threw in a gag about America’s colonial past.
He said: “This said, our French friends can feel equally at home with a glance at a map. Indeed, you recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German.”
The monarch then paused, before adding: “Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” joking about Britain’s historical role.
The King was thought to be referring to places with British and French origins in North America, where the rival colonial powers battled for control of the continent before US independence 250 years ago, as per France24.
He quickly added, ‘Of course, we both love our French cousins greatly’.
Reacting to the quip, one X user penned: “That wasn’t a joke, that was a historical counterattack.”
While a second added: “That awkward smile, yeah, he definitely didn’t catch that one.”
At the state banquet, the King delivered a speech that got the room laughing (Bloomberg/Getty Images)
And a third brutally wrote: “God, I so would buy tickets to this show. I don’t enjoy anything as much as seeing the King humiliate Trump.”
It comes after earlier in the day, the King made history when he delivered an address to both houses of the US Congress, making him the second British monarch to do so after his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s speech during her 1991 state visit.
During this record-breaking moment, he told the assembled politicians that the partnership between the two nations is ‘more important today than it has ever been’.
He said when Britain and America drew on their common values to come together: “This, I believe, is the special ingredient in our relationship”.