England’s King Charles III hasn’t exactly been biting his tongue during his United States visit with Queen Camilla.
The pair were formally welcomed by President Donald Trump, slipping in pointed remarks that sound polite on the surface but land with a little more weight the closer you listen.
During the White House state dinner, King Charles reminded Donald Trump that “as the direct descendant of King George III, I know this is a nation that never gives up.”
In another hilarious moment, Trump was given an in-person history lesson following his claim that Europe would be speaking German without the U.S. Charles fired back, “Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French.”
That same kind of tension is now popping up elsewhere, this time involving Ted Cruz.
On April 27, Charles, 77, met with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on the first day of the monarch’s overseas trip. The meeting took place at a garden party held at the British embassy in Washington, DC. Cruz, 55, was joined by his two school-age daughters.
A smiling Cruz shook hands with the King while surrounded by other guests and photographers who were filming the exchange.
He then introduced Caroline Cruz (born 2008) and Catherine Cruz (born 2010) to the European monarch. The full chat was hard to decipher completely.
However, at one point, the King asks them if they have “done their exams”.
This led to the UK boss cracking a joke at the Cruz family’s expense.
“If you fail, it’ll be my fault,” Charles playfully told Caroline and Catherine, garnering light giggles from the teenagers.
And the monarch’s sense of humour caught Senator Cruz off guard, as he blurts out: “She’s studying right now.”
What was a lighthearted moment from Charles was treated as a snippy jab directed at Cruz. Some commenters are slamming the Republican lawmaker from Texas for how he approached the king of England .
“Clown!” exclaimed one person on X in response to a clip of Cruz and his daughters speaking with Charles III. A second wrote, “Absolute cinema. Ted Cruz brings his daughters to meet actual royalty, like, ‘Look, girls, a real king.’”
Another poster focused on Caroline and Catherine’s faces by suggesting, “Those girls looked weirded out.” Other reactions were even more judgmental of their Canadian-born father.
“Smh, no proper etiquette, dressed sloppy, neckline too low, and barely speaking. [The] Cruz family needs etiquette classes and pr training because this was awful. They embarrass America every chance they get,” expressed an aggravated critic of the Princeton University graduate.
Cruz also caught heat for. Someone exclaimed, “Sir! Please don’t wear sunglasses when meeting people. It’s rude not to look each other in the eye.”
One X user was violently bothered by Cruz wearing sunglasses. They tweeted, “What’s that quote about wearing sunglasses when speaking to someone. Either you are blind or an a-hole.”
People on social media were either entertained by the awkwardness of the situation or angered by the supposed lack of decorum. Meanwhile, Cruz feels rather joyful about his meet-up with Charles.
“Great to meet with King Charles III yesterday during his first state visit to the United States,” Cruz captioned an Instagram post of the two men conversing that was posted on the morning of April 28.
Over 600 guests from the U.K. and the U.S. were said to be in attendance for the garden party. Other notable VIPs included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, British Olympian Tom Daley, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
After touching down in Washington on Monday, King Charles and Queen Camilla kicked off their visit to America by attending a formal state arrival ceremony at the White House hosted by President Donald Trump, 79, and first lady Melania Trump, 56.
Plus, the royals took part in a private tea with the Trumps and a tour of Melania’s expanded beekeeping program. Charles and Camilla joined Trump and Melania for a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday evening.
On April 28, Charles will be the second British monarch, following his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress. He and Camilla are also scheduled to visit New York and Virginia in recognition of America’s 250th birthday this year.
The opening days of King Charles’ current journey to the States have mostly been filled with positively received photo-ops with Washington insiders.
But crossing paths with Sen. Cruz and his daughters produced optics that internet instigators found uncomfortable at best and gauche at worst.
