World4 min(s) read
Published 09:32 01 May 2026 GMT
Emmanuel Macron has responded to King Charles' playful jab at Trump, with a concise message online.
British Royals King Charles and Queen Camilla carried out their state visit over the past four days, wrapping things up on Thursday (April 30).
It has unsurprisingly been highly scrutinised by the media, with the US President accused of breaking royal protocol on day one.
But at the White House State Dinner, Charles showed his appreciation for the UK's relationship with the US, by gifting Trump a giant brass bell bearing his name, a symbolic relic with deep wartime meaning.
This bell came from H.M.S. Trump, a British World War Two submarine that helped protect Allied interests.
The monarch said it was a "personal" gift, and added that it will "stand as a testimony to our nation’s shared history and shining future."
Despite the King's awkward exchange with the Mayor of New York, the trip seemed to be a success, though one moment continues to stand out.
The monarch delivered a speech to Congress which received 12 standing ovations, packed with jokes and playful comments about the packed history between the US and UK.
It has been 35 years since a British monarch delivered a speech to both houses of Congress, with Queen Elizabeth II speaking back in 1991.
Charles joked that he couldn't "help but notice the readjustments to the East Wing," before joking the British had "made our own small attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House" when troops burned it down in 1814.
He then brought up Trump's previous comments about the US saving Europe in World War Two, in a clip which has garnered millions of views across social media.
"Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German," he began.
"Dare I say that if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French."
But the King went on in a more serious tone: "American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent, playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe.
"We and I shall never forget that," he stated, at a time where the relationship between the nations is at a near all-time low.
The French president took to X and alongside a video of the joke, writing: "That would be chic!"
This response evoked a comedic response from users, with many replying with images of Trump sporting a beret.
The reality though, is that the majority of the US do not need to be aware of the ins and out of the French language.
But Macron wasn't the only one to comment on the events of the White House dinner, as the French Embassy wrote on X: "Sole meunière, vanilla bean crémeux, chocolate gâteau, almond joconde, and crème fraîche… the attendees were speaking French, for sure."
It did look tasty, in all fairness.
The King had referenced comments which Trump made at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, where he said Europeans would be speaking German and Japanese, if not for them in WWII.
"After the war, which we won, we won it big, without us, right now, you'd all be speaking German and little Japanese perhaps," he claimed.
But during the dinner, the President was far more friendly towards the British monarch, saying: "I want to congratulate Charles on having made a fantastic speech today at Congress. He got the Democrats to stand. I've never been able to do that."
He also spoke about Iran while claiming the monarch shared his view.
"Charles agrees with me even more than I do - we're never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon," he claimed.
"But our countries have stood together, defiant and triumphant against the forces of communism, fascism and tyranny; together, we have expanded the reaches of human knowledge and endeavored always to make this world safer, more prosperous, more just and more free," Trump stated.
