Eric Ham: King’s address was the balm needed for a nation scarred from endless fights

CTV News' U.S. Political analyst Eric Ham says King Charles' unity message was praised in Congress, but highlights deep political divide.

King Charles’ state visit to the U.S. comes at a precarious time. The White House is gripped by political paralysis, unable to find a way out of the Iran imbroglio. Another shooting incident at the most recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner — the first attended by Donald Trump as president of the United States — has Washington unmoored and politically adrift. It all comes as the nation is beginning to feel the weight of another gruelling election season bringing with it more division and polarization. The head of the British monarchy wades into a cavalcade of growing uncertainty armed with regal statesmanship meant to bolster a wayward friend and stalwart ally.

Throughout his time on the political stage and global arena, Trump has derided a bevy of world leaders. Secluded strongmen to principled spiritual leaders, only a small minority have yet to feel the wrath of oft-unhinged and unpredictable American president.

King Charles is among the elite. Trump’s fervour and admiration for the Royal Family is unbridled. Even as his disdain and rancour with the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, seemingly grows boundless by the day, it is the royals that can curb the growing feud. Through serendipity or sheer happenstance, the King’s visit and his once-in-a-generation address before a joint session of Congress was certainly the balm needed for a nation scarred and bruised from scathing and endless fights both internally and externally.

Speaking before a rapt and attentive audience of lawmakers, military officers, and other government officials the King spoke both directly and eloquently to the challenges plaguing the two nations and beyond. He said, “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries…” Recognizing the historical nature of his address he referenced the late Queen, his mother speaking to a joint session of Congress more than 30 years ago.

He noted: “Speaking in this renowned chamber of debate and deliberation, I cannot help but think of my late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who, in 1991, was also afforded this signal honour and similarly spoke under the watchful eye of the statue of freedom above us,” he said.

• More opinions and expert analyses

Since Trump’s return to the White House, the nation has been gripped by unrest over brutal and unrelenting raids across American cities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Actions that led to the deaths of two Americans in Minnesota. Journalists jailed for reporting on the events playing out daily infringing on the rights and due process of everyday citizens. Sovereign world leaders abruptly detained. Unauthorized wars. Potential invasions of NATO countries. All occurring at breakneck speeds. No checks. No balances.

A nation void of soft power. Executive power refusing to give an inch. Political might aimed squarely at the unsuspecting. The Monarchy entered a raging firestorm. Hopes have been high for this visit. The Royal Family means many things to many people across the world. However, at this hour in America’s evolving history, the King’s majestic aura; his august presence; and noble splendour carried more meaning than gestures and pageantry. His noble presence extends a caring and trusted hand to a nation that has lost its way. A nation drifting away from the democratic principles it was founded on and now celebrates with great fanfare.

America is at a crossroads. Unsure which way to go. Greatly tempted by the path of unchecked power that is authoritarianism. However, though fragile and unsteady, still held in place by centuries of democracy. It is at this time, one of the United States’ most trusted friends arrives to break the impasse. The King did not come to scold but to celebrate. He was not here to revile but to build up. As his mother did decades ago, the Monarch reminded America — through its leaders — what made it great and how that greatness lifts the world. Saying to the gallery, “And so, to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world.”

There are many reasons American leaders refer to the U.K. as an indispensable nation. The two have been a bedrock that stood against totalitarianism allowing democracy and freedom to flourish. Now, as the United States wars with itself, its friends, its neighbours, and the world it is that indispensable nation that has come to its aide. Not to chide, not to harangue, and certainly not to enable. The indispensable nation sent its greatest asset. The U.K. dispatched its most powerful and potent prize draped in soft power. It sent royalty to remind the nation that it birthed that greatness does not reside in force but in the humanity that it exudes.