LIVE UPDATES: King Charles addresses US Congress, flags AUKUS crucial for shared prosperity, condemns violence

King Charles III’s plea to Congress to resist isolationism, a reminder of the need for peace in Ukraine, as well as the value of allies, was brave, funny, eloquent and demonstrated the value of his unorthodox approach as a royal.

His special mention of AUKUS and Australia, which earned applause from the bitterly divided US Congress, emphasised the value of the monarch beyond Britain and, paradoxically, his unique royal position to say the unsayable.

As Prince of Wales, Charles was seen as a political meddler, writing to ministers and speaking on issues such as environmentalism, farming, architecture and even genetically modified crops.

Royals are supposed to say as little as possible to avoid any perception of being anything other than politically neutral. In 2018, Charles acknowledged his meddling and told the BBC he would not indulge it when sovereign — “I’m not that stupid,” he said at the time.

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Housing Minister Clare O’Neil has refused to answer whether Australia was aware that its refusal to repatriate a cohort of Australians linked to ISIS from war camps in northeast Syria was causing mounting frustration in the US government.

Nine Newspapers reported this week that a February letter from the US Department of State outlined that America wanted to “press countries to repatriate, especially in light of recent developments in the region”.

“I see that the Australian government has dug in on its opposition to repatriating them from the camp,” a US official wrote.

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King Charles made a notable reference to Australia during his address to the US Congress, using the moment to highlight the AUKUS defence partnership.

He described the agreement as “the most ambitious submarine program in history” and pointed to Australia’s role in the pact, adding it was “a country of which I am also immensely proud to serve as sovereign”.

The mention of AUKUS drew applause from lawmakers in the chamber.

The US Department of Justice has brought a new criminal case against former FBI director James Comey, a source familiar with the case says.

The specific charges were not yet clear, nor was it clear where the case would be brought.

Fox News and the Associated Press, citing unnamed sources, reported the case was about a social media post Mr Comey made last year that allies of US President Donald Trump interpreted as threatening.

The post, which was published on Mr Comey’s Instagram page in May 2025, showed an image of seashells arranged to show the numbers “86,47”.

In US parlance, the number 86 can be used as verb meaning to throw somebody out of a bar for being drunk or disorderly, and 47 is code for Mr Trump, the 47th president.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of”, or “to refuse service to”.

It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill’. We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use”.

US officials investigated Mr Comey in the days following the post, which Mr Comey later deleted.

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Donald Trump is fast approaching a key legal deadline in the Iran war, with pressure mounting from Congress over whether he will seek approval to continue military action.

Under the War Powers Act, the president can act unilaterally for 60 days — a window that is set to expire this week — after which congressional authorisation is required to press on.

Some Republican lawmakers are already signalling they expect that process to be followed. Senator Susan Collins told CNN Mr Trump needed to go to Congress if he wanted to extend operations. “There has to be action by Congress,” she said.

If the president opts to comply, he can request a 30-day extension, which is widely expected to be approved.

King Charles centred his address on the enduring relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, emphasising the global influence of American leadership and the responsibility that comes with it.

“Mr Speaker, Mr Vice President, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more,” he said.

“President Lincoln understood this so well, with his reflection in the magisterial Gettysburg Address that the world may little note what we say, but will never forget what we do.”

King Charles condemns political violence during his address to the US Congress with a nod to the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump.

The UK monarch said the shooting “sought to harm the leadership of your nation and to foment wider fear and discord”.

“Let me say with unshakeable resolve - such acts of violence will never succeed,” 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.”

King Charles has backed the trilateral AUKUS partnership and described it as the “most ambitious submarine program in history” in his historic address to US Congress.

“Today, thousands of US service personnel, defence officials and their families are stationed in the United Kingdom, as British personnel serve with equal pride across thirty American states,” he said.

“We are building F-35s together. And we have agreed the most ambitious submarine program in history – AUKUS – in partnership with Australia, a country of which I am also immensely proud to serve as Sovereign.

“We do not embark on these remarkable endeavours together out of sentiment.

“We do so because they build greater shared resilience for the future, so making our citizens safer for generations to come.”

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