French president responds after King Charles tells Trump 'if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French'
There has been much apprehension on both sides of the Atlantic about what would happen when King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House for their four-day state visit this week.
Would Donald Trump breach royal protocol? Would he embarrass the King and Queen?
However, so far, it's all run very smoothly. King Charles delivered a speech to Congress, which received 12 standing ovations, was jam-packed full of playful jibes and left many thinking it might all get off without a hitch.
It's been 35 years since a British monarch delivered a speech to both houses of Congress, when Queen Elizabeth II spoke in 1991.
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It also comes at a time when the US-UK relationship seems to be at an all time low, with Trump regularly criticizing the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
What did King Charles say about the French?
King Charles was clearly in a good mood, delivering jokes and looking like he was having fun doing so at the White House state dinner on Tuesday night (April 28).
In a zinger that has made headlines around the globe, he even joked that if it were not for the UK, the US would 'be speaking French'.
King Charles, who also presented Trump with a unique gift during the dinner, said: "You recently commented, Mr President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking German.
"Dare I say that if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French?" Zing.
How did Emmanuel Macron respond to King Charles' comments?
French president Emmanuel Macron was quick to take to X to let his thoughts be known.
Alongside a video of the jibe, he said he thought 'that would be chic' if the US were to speak French.
Well maybe the US won't be picking up the Duolingo for French lessons this summer, but the diners at the banquet were certainly enjoying some fine French food.
Because if there's one thing they tend to do better than both the US and UK, it's cooking.
The Embassy of France in the US chimed in on the spread at the dinner, which to be fair, looked marvellous.
It tweeted: "Sole meunière, vanilla bean crémeux, chocolate gâteau, almond joconde, and crème fraîche… the attendees were speaking French, for sure."
The King was responding to comments made by Trump in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum at Davos where he said that Europeans would be speaking German and Japanese, had the US decided not to intervene in World War II.
He said: "After the war, which we won, we won it big, without us, right now, you'd all be speaking German and little Japanese perhaps."
Trump's jab at Europe followed his interest in taking over Greenland, at a deeply rocky time for US-European relationships.
Tensions between the US and Europe remain fraught, but maybe this little jibe will ease everyone up a bit.
What was on the menu at the White House state dinner?
The First Lady led the preparations for the state dinner (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
According to the White House, the first course consisted of a ‘delicate’ garden Vegetable Velouté, with a ‘refreshing’ hearts of palm salad. The dish was topped off with toasted shallots and a ‘whisper of micro mint for brightness and contrast’.
This was followed by a ‘handcrafted’ spring herb ravioli, which featured herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden, and was ‘generously filled’ with creamy ricotta and dressed ‘in a light parmesan emulsion’.
When it came to the third course, guests were served a classic Dover sole meunière, which had been ‘bathed in a nutty brown butter’. It was ‘accompanied by tender spring ramps, sweet snow peas, layered potatoes pavé, and a vibrant parsley oil for a refined, seasonal finish’.
For dessert, they had a beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau with a vanilla bean crémeux custard, crème fraîche ice cream and White House honey.
A selection of wines was also presented to ‘complement the menu while honoring the shared heritage and enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom’.
Topics: Donald Trump, King Charles III, UK News
Thomas Bamford