King Charles US visit live: Monarch jokes Trump would be ‘speaking French if it wasn’t for us’ at state dinner – UK Times

King Charles met ​with US tech leaders on Tuesday as part of his four-day state visit, discussing challenges for early-stage startups as the UK touts itself as a ⁠top destination for technology firms.

Among the leaders Charles met with were Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, Salesforce CEO ⁠Marc Benioff and Alphabet President Ruth ​Porat.

Charles ⁠noted issues facing companies formed from work at universities and the difficulty of those startups getting funding. “These ⁠are the people I always think have the ​greatest difficulty ⁠getting off the ground,” ‌he told the CEOs.

“They get into this terrible valley of death.”Huang noted big areas of opportunity, such as ‌AI and quantum robotics: “We just need a ‌vibrant VC ecosystem and a startup culture,” he told the King, referring to venture capital.

Charles responded, “You’re all deadly competitors,” to laughter.

Huang joked ⁠back: “No one has to die.” King Charles responded, “Really?” to more laughter.

Bezos recounted starting Amazon in 1995 and that he struggled to raise $1m from investors, $50,000 at a time, and noted 40 said no.

The King responded, “And all those 40 are kicking themselves,” to wide laughter.

Charles compared people who ‌passed up investing in Amazon to the Harry ​Potter books and how many publishers turned down ‌the book.

King Charles III and Camilla are set to embark on the third day of their historic state visit to the United States, which many hope will repair a weakening “special relationship”.

On Wednesday, Charles and Camilla are due to travel to New York, where they will visit the 9/11 memorial ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

During their visit, they will also meet with first responders and families of those who were killed that day.

As part of a visit to the New York Public Library’s permanent treasures collection, the Queen will give a specially made toy of Winnie-the-Pooh character Roo to the library to complete a set of the beloved characters in one of the institution’s collections.

The library is home to the teddy bears which belonged to Christopher Robin, son of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A A Milne, believed to have inspired the stories first published in 1926.

While Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga and Eeyore are all on display, the original baby kangaroo toy, Roo, was lost in an apple orchard in the 1930s.

The Roo toy was made specifically for the visit by traditional British teddy bear makers Merrythought, who produced the original toys.

King Charles brought a touch of wit to the White House state dinner, joking that Donald Trump might well have been “speaking French” if it were not for Britain’s role in history.

“Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German,” the King said.

“Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French…!”

He quickly adds that “of course, we both love our French cousins greatly”.

The remark, delivered with a smile, drew laughter from the room and offered a brief moment of humour to the otherwise serious visit amid strained ties between the US and UK.

King Charles struck a lighter note with his choice of gift for the president, presenting Donald Trump with the bell from a former British Navy submarine that turns out to have been his namesake.

As the King revealed the gift – a bell from HMS Trump, a WW II-era submarine launched in 1944 – the King said: “May it stand as a testament to our nation’s shared history and shining future.”

“And should you ever need to get hold of us,” he added, “just give us a ring.”

The state dinner hosted by president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for King Charles III and Queen Camilla is drawing to a close at the White House.

A military band has taken centre stage, filling the room with a final flourish of music.

The band played The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera for guests still seated at the tables.

At a glittering state dinner at the White House, Donald Trump brought an unexpected edge to the evening, by saying the British monarch agrees with him on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Speaking to guests, Trump struck a confident tone about developments in the Middle East.

“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now and we’re doing very well,” he said.

He went on to claim military success against the adversary, adding that the US would “never” allow that opponent to obtain a nuclear weapon – and pointedly suggested that King Charles shared that view.

“Charles agrees with me even more than I do,” Trump quipped, before reiterating that Iran would not be allowed to develop nuclear arms.

In his ‌own comments after Trump spoke, Charles did not speak about Iran or the Iran war.

As a constitutional monarch, he does not speak on behalf of the British government, and his comments remained focused on broader themes rather than geopolitics.

Instead, he offered a more measured reflection on global security, acknowledging tensions within Nato, stressing the importance of continued US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, and warning against the risks of isolationism.

Despite the diplomatic tightrope on display, there is a longstanding alignment between the UK and the US on one key point: both countries maintain that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons.