Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The remark came during a speech during the king’s visit to the US.
In January, during the 56th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (Davos 2026), Donald Trump famously told Europe that “without the US, you’d be speaking German and a little Japanese,” referring to World War II.
But during a speech at a White House state dinner on Tuesday, UK King Charles used Trump’s own words to roast the POTUS in a lighthearted speech.
In a clip from the dinner, now circulating online, the King said:
“Indeed, 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 were not for us, you’d be speaking French.”
The King was clearly making a joke, but what did he actually refer to?
Pre-US fighting
The US celebrates its 250 years of independence from the UK in 2026, but America was colonized long before that.
During colonization, Great Britain and France engaged in a heated rivalry to take control of the New World.
Great Britain established the 13 Colonies on the East Coast of what is now the US, while France established “New France.”
During the Seven Years’ War in the mid-18th century, British America and New France fought alongside their respective Indigenous allies in North America. That conflict is commonly known as the French and Indian War.
It ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763, in which France lost most of its territory in North America, as Canada and lands east of the Mississippi were ceded to Great Britain. Louisiana was transferred to Spain.
Historians argue that the war between the French and the British in North America fueled tensions that eventually led to the American Revolution in 1776.
Lighthearted joking
The King was clearly in a joking mood during his speech, as he also took a jab at both Trump’s construction of a large ballroom and British actions after American independence.
King Charles said that he could not help but notice the “readjustments” to the White House East Wing (which has been demolished to make room for the new ballroom), and then turned the joke on the British:
“I am sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own attempt at real estate redevelopment of the White House in 1814,” he said, referring to when British soldiers torched the building.
Sources: Fox News, Reuters, South China Morning Post, X post from Open Source Intel
