It is a funny old world when the United States, a nation that literally fought a war just to get rid of the British monarchy, suddenly decides it cannot get enough of us. After 250 years of independence, you might think the Americans would have moved on. Yet, when King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped onto the White House lawn, the entire country seemed to pause its usual obsession with political warfare for a bit of proper pageantry.
In a country where people cannot seem to agree on the colour of the sky, the British royals managed a rare clean sweep. For a few days, political squabbles took a backseat. Even the Washington crowd, usually busy throwing verbal stones at one another, decided to play nice. It was quite the show.
The atmosphere in Congress offered a particularly amusing contrast. While some American politicians love to throw insults at the British government, they treated King Charles like a rock star. Even Donald Trump, a man who usually has an opinion on everything, stayed on script. Trump noted with genuine surprise that the Democrats actually stood up for the King. It seems a crown still holds a bit of magic, even in a republic built on the idea that crowns are best avoided.
Experts argue this fascination comes from simple novelty. Americans love a good story, and the Royal Family is the ultimate long-running soap opera. It is exotic, it is distant, and it does not require them to vote on anything. However, popularity is a fickle friend. Polls show that Americans still hold a much deeper affection for Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana than they do for the current King. Charles has a tougher job. He has to balance the tradition people love with a personality that, let us be honest, is far less legendary than his mother’s.
Of course, the visit did not fix everything. Business owners in New York were hopeful that the royal dust would settle into some extra profit for their British themed shops. Yet, as one shopkeeper admitted, we should not expect a magical wand to wave away trade tariffs or lower the cost of imports. A royal smile is lovely, but it does not change the price of fish and chips.
The visit gave the Americans a chance to feel a bit fancy for a week, and it gave us a chance to watch them pretend to care about protocol for a few days. It was a charming distraction from the usual grind. Once the motorcades left and the flags came down, the Americans went back to their usual chaos, and we went back to ours.
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