After more than a year of U.S. President Donald Trump calling the country’s prime ministers “governor,” King Charles asserted his role as Canada’s head of state in remarks at the White House late Tuesday.
In his speech at the official state banquet held in his honour, Charles gently poked at the president, at one point obliquely referencing Trump’s penchant for suggesting Canada could become the 51st state.
“In just a few weeks, the United States and Canada will be among those to welcome the world as hosts of the FIFA World Cup,” Charles said as Trump looked on. “So, in one sense, Mr. President, as heads of state, we are joint hosts.”
He also playfully one-upped the president, noting Trump leads only one country competing in the soccer tournament.
“I can only say, as the head of state of five competing countries, I will be watching the matches closely and with great enthusiasm. After all, we always like favourable odds,” Charles said.
In his remarks, Charles also made reference to the War of 1812 and the Seven Years’ War — reminders that the U.S. hasn’t always been the most dominant force.
WATCH | King Charles likes his odds at FIFA World Cup:
King Charles jokes about ‘favourable odds’ at World Cup as head of state of 5 competing countries
King Charles, speaking at a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday, spoke about the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, saying he’ll be watching ‘with great enthusiasm.’
Arthur Milnes, a historian and speechwriter for former prime minister Stephen Harper, said the references the King made were undoubtedly deliberately chosen to remind Trump whose country it really is. He added that the point was deftly handled because it was delivered with humour.
“As the constitutional monarch, there are certain things he can and cannot say as King. But Charles has been an activist his whole life, he’s learned how to get points across even though he’s supposed to be non-political,” Milnes said in an interview with CBC News. “Everything that man says is carefully considered.”
That said, Milnes noted that the King is certainly speaking up for Canada.
“It would be quite easy for Charles to say nothing about us in Washington, but here is the King of Canada doing his job for the country, again, amid Mr. Trump’s constant anger toward us. Why would the King wade into that unless it came from the heart?”
None of it seemed to bother the president.
“I loved his speech last night,” Trump told reporters Wednesday after meeting with Artemis II astronauts, including Canadian Jeremy Hansen, in the Oval Office.
“He’s an unbelievable King, and by the way, she’s an unbelievable Queen. I think he’s a phenomenal representative.”
This isn’t the first time Charles has used carefully worded statements and symbolism to assert Canada’s sovereignty.
While personally delivering the throne speech in Ottawa last year, Charles dramatically declared “The True North is indeed strong and free!”
King Charles delivers the speech from the throne in the Senate in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
He also wore Canadian medals during high-profile military visits in the U.K., planted a red maple tree on the grounds of Buckingham Palace and gave his personal Canadian liaison and senior protocol officer in Parliament a new sword.
Like Prime Minister Mark Carney, who last week invoked War of 1812 hero Sir Isaac Brock when discussing challenges in the bilateral relationship, Charles told Trump what the British troops protecting Canada did to try to stop the 19th century American annexation attempt.
Charles, who has visited the White House several times before as Prince of Wales, also poked at Trump’s radical overhaul of the structure where they were having dinner, including tearing down the historic East Wing used by past first ladies.
Charles implied Trump wanted to make the presidential mansion more imposing after seeing Britain’s impressive royal castles during his visit to the U.K.
“On this occasion, I cannot help noticing the readjustments to the East Wing, Mr. President, following your visit to Windsor Castle last year. I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814,” he said, to much laughter.
Tom Freeman’s painting of the burning of the White House on Aug. 24, 1814, by British troops during the War of 1812. (White House Historical Association)
After American troops ransacked much of Upper Canada, burned York (present-day Toronto) to the ground and destroyed the Parliament there during the hostilities, the British exacted their revenge in August 1814.
Trying to draw American forces away from the Canadian border but also attack the U.S. seat of government, British redcoats launched an invasion from the Chesapeake Bay and overwhelmed the poorly trained American militia protecting Washington and the surrounding area.
They torched the White House and the U.S. Capitol in what one historian called a “dramatic display of British power” and a “just reprisal” for what had been done to Canada.
The war ended four months later and the U.S. never got what it really wanted: Canada.
A painting by artist George Munger of the U.S. Capitol after being burned by the British in the War of 1812. (U.S. Library of Congress)
In his speech to Congress, Charles highlighted how NATO allies have supported the U.S. despite Trump’s claims to the contrary.
While shaming NATO members in a Davos speech for lax military spending, Trump claimed that without American involvement, Nazi Germany would have defeated Britain and other European allies in the Second World War.
Charles addressed that quip directly at the banquet.
“You recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German.
“Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Charles said, referencing the Seven Years’ War in the 18th century, in which Britain defeated the French in North America.
King Charles toasts Trump at Tuesday’s state dinner in Washington. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
John Fraser, the founding president of the Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, said in an interview that the King’s remarks during this visit are similar to ones he made in Canada when he delivered last year’s throne speech.
“He flew in to Ottawa to help a traumatized community deal with Trump,” Fraser said.
“And here, he’s trying to calm the waters by using perspective and history and the clout he’s got as King to redirect the president.”
Fraser said that because of Trump’s infatuation with the Royal Family, Charles has more leeway to express his thoughts without getting into too much trouble with the mercurial president.
WATCH | King Charles jokes about the British burning the White House in 1814 :
King Charles jokes about British ‘real estate redevelopment’ of White House in 1814
King Charles, who attended a state dinner on Tuesday as part of his visit to Washington, noted U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing changes to the East Wing of the White House and joked about the ‘small attempt’ the British made at ‘redevelopment’ of the presidential home during an assault in the summer of 1814.
While he did make several gentle digs at Trump, Charles spent much of his speech calling for Britain and the U.S. to put aside their present differences and draw closer together.
He also flattered Trump, saying his Scottish-born mother, an ardent monarchist, would be proud of what her son has accomplished.
Playing to Trump’s love of gold and his last name, the King also gifted the president a bell from the HMS Trump, a decommissioned British submarine. Trump’s surname is emblazoned on the golden ornament. “Should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring!” Charles said.
U.S. President Donald Trump touches King Charles during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Royal biographer Robert Hardman, who interviewed Trump last year for a book on Queen Elizabeth, recently wrote that the president asked him if Charles was still Canada’s head of state.
After briefing Trump on the constitutional arrangement, Hardman wrote that Trump said annexing Canada was off the table during this presidential term.
The biographer said this was partly due to Trump’s deference to the King.
“This was the closest I had heard to an acknowledgement that, as long as Canada had the King, Mr. Trump was not going to usurp him.”
