Two Nations With Shared Values

Terence P. Jeffrey
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:40:36 -0700
Opinion

When Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her eldest son in 1948, she named him Charles — not after the first man who had served as the British monarch using that same name but rather after King Haakon of Norway.

She referred to him as "Uncle Charles," and he became King Charles III's namesake and godfather.

It is good that Charles III was not named after Charles I of England.
Updated: Wed Apr 29, 2026

When Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to her eldest son in 1948, she named him Charles — not after the first man who had served as the British monarch using that same name but rather after King Haakon of Norway.

She referred to him as "Uncle Charles," and he became King Charles III's namesake and godfather.

It is good that Charles III was not named after Charles I of England.

King Charles I was born in 1600 as the second son of King James I. His older brother, Henry, as noted by the Historic UK website, was set to be king but died in 1612 at the age of 18. Charles I then became the king in 1625, when King James I died.

"The English Civil War broke out in 1642 and divided the country into Roundheads, supporters of parliament, and the Cavaliers, the supporters of monarchy," notes the Historic UK website. "This was a war defined by issues of freedom, religion and the future for English governance."

King Charles I lost. In 1649, he was beheaded, and the British monarchy ceased to exist for 11 years, until Parliament restored it in 1660 and King Charles I's son became King Charles II.

It has now survived through the current monarch.

In his speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, this king did a good job of explaining and supporting the ongoing special relationship between his country and the United States.

"I come here today with the highest respect for the United States Congress, this citadel of democracy created to represent the voice of all American people to advance sacred rights and freedoms," he said.

"Today, I am here on this great occasion in the life our nations to express the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States," he said.

"So perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our nations are in fact instinctively like-minded — a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day," said King Charles III. "Drawing on these values and traditions, time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together."

"As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last Autumn," said King Charles, "'The bond of kindship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable.'"

The king then made note of his Christian faith and the Easter season.

"And, Mr. Speaker, for many here — and for myself — the Christian faith is a firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally but together as members of our community," he said. "Having devoted a large part of my life to interfaith relationships and greater understanding, it is that faith in the triumph of light over darkness which I have found confirmed countless times."

"I am mindful that we are still in the season of Easter," said King Charles III, "the season that most strengthens my hope. It is why I believe, with all my heart, that the essence of our two nations is a generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to deepen mutual understanding and to value all people, of all faiths, and of none."

The king noted that the alliance between his country and the United States had succeeded in winning World War II and said that Great Britain will now bolster its defenses to face the threats of today. "The United Kingdom recognizes that the threats we face demand a transformation in British defense," he said. "That is why our country, in order to be fit for the future, has committed to the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War — during part of which, over 50 years ago, I served with immense pride in the Royal Navy."

"Our common ideals are not only crucial for liberty and equality," he said, "they are also the foundation of our shared prosperity."

Today's world is very different from the one that existed 250 years ago when our nation declared its independence from Great Britain. It is also different from the one that united us as allies in two world wars and the Cold War.

But King Charles III and President Donald Trump are correct that the shared values that united our nations in the past continue to unite us today.