從昔日宿敵到「不可替代」的盟友：查爾斯三世演說揭示的 5 個英美關係驚人真相
文：Gary 張友義 / NotebookLM
引言：當君主走入民主的殿堂
法律基因：美國最高法院裡的《大憲章》
基督信仰：共同的信仰與跨宗教的尊重
國王提到，對他自己以及在場的許多人來說，基督教信仰是堅定的錨與日常的靈感來源，不僅指引著個人，也將大家凝聚為社群的一份子。他強調，自己將大半生奉獻於促進跨宗教的關係與理解，並無數次印證了「光明必將戰勝黑暗」的信念。他表示：「透過這些經歷，當看到不同信仰的人們在對彼此的理解中成長時，他們之間發展出的深深敬意總是啟發著我」。
關於對世界的祈禱與和平的呼籲 針對當前動盪的世界，查理三世表達了他的祈願：「這就是為什麼我希望、也是我的祈禱，在這些動盪的時代中，透過我們與國際夥伴的共同努力，能夠阻止人們將犁頭打成刀劍（意即化干戈為玉帛）」。
他特別提到，演講時正值復活節期間，這個節日最能增強他的希望。他打從心底相信，英美兩國的核心精神在於「慷慨的靈魂」，並肩負著一項共同的責任：「培養同情心、促進和平、加深相互理解，並重視所有擁有不同信仰或沒有信仰的人」。
對英美聯盟與世界未來的祈禱 在演講的後段，他也再次為兩國的聯盟與世界發展祈禱：「我全心全意地祈禱，我們的聯盟將與我們在歐洲、大英國協以及世界各地的夥伴們，繼續捍衛我們共同的價值觀，並希望我們能忽視那些呼籲我們變得更加內向封閉的響亮聲音」。
- 安全防禦： AUKUS 潛艦計畫、F-35 戰機的共同研發，以及對烏克蘭主權的堅定支持。
- 個人聯繫： 國王回憶起自己曾在英國皇家海軍服役，追隨父輩與祖輩的足跡，強調這種軍事紐帶的傳承。
- 科技與教育： 從核融合、量子計算到 AI 醫療，以及惠及數千名美國學子、旨在傳遞馬歇爾將軍精神的「馬歇爾獎學金」。
Mr. Vice
President, Mr. Speaker, members of Congress, representatives of the American
people across all states, territories, cities and communities, I would like, if
I may, to take this opportunity to express my particular gratitude to you all
for the great honor of addressing this joint meeting of Congress, and on behalf
of the Queen and myself, to thank the American people for welcoming us to the
United States to mark this semiquincential year of the Declaration of
Independence.
And for all
of that time, our destinies as nations have been interlinked. As Oscar Wilde
said, we have rarely everything in common with America nowadays except, of
course, language. So ladies and gentlemen, we meet in times of great
uncertainty, in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East, which pose
immense challenges for the international community and whose impact is felt in
communities the length and breadth of our own countries. We meet too in the
aftermath in this renowned chamber of debate and deliberation. I cannot help
but think of my late mother, Queen Elizabeth, who in 1991 was also afforded
this signal honor and similarly spoke under the watchful eye of the statue of
freedom above us.
Today I am
here on this great occasion in the life of our nations to express the highest
regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States.
Now as you may know, when I address my own parliament at Westminster, we still
follow an age-old tradition and take a member of Parliament hostage, holding
him or her at Buckingham Palace until I am safely returned. These days we look
after our guests rather well, to the point that they often do not want to
leave. I don't know, Mr. Speaker, if there were any volunteers for that role
here today.
As I look
back across the centuries, Mr. Speaker, there emerged certain patterns, certain
self-evident truths from which we can learn and draw mutual strength. With the
spirit of 1776 in our minds, we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree
at least in the first instance. Indeed, the very principle on which your
Congress was founded, "no taxation without representation," was at
once a fundamental disagreement between us, and at the same time a shared
democratic value which you inherited from us. Ours is a partnership born out of
dispute, but no less strong for it.
So perhaps
in this example, we can discern that our nations are in fact instinctively
like-minded, a product of the common democratic, legal and social traditions in
which our governance is rooted to this day. Drawing on these values and
traditions time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come
together. And by Jove, Mr. Speaker, when we have found that way to agree, what
great change is brought about, not just for the benefit of our peoples but of
all peoples. This I believe is the special ingredient in our relationship. As
President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn,
the bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is
priceless and eternal; it is irreplaceable and unbreakable.
Mr. Speaker,
this is by no means my first visit to Washington DC, the capital of this great
republic. It is in fact my 20th visit to the United States, and my first as
King and head of the Commonwealth. This is a city which symbolizes a period in
our shared history, or what Charles Dickens might have called a tale of two
Georges: the first President George Washington and my five times
great-grandfather King George III. King George, as you know, never set foot in
America, and please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, I am not here as part
of some cunning rear guard action.
The founding
fathers were bold and imaginative rebels with a cause. 250 years ago, or as we
say in the United Kingdom, "just the other day," they declared
independence. By balancing contending forces and drawing strength in diversity,
they united 13 desperate colonies to forge a nation on the revolutionary idea
of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They carried with them and
carried forward the great inheritance of the British Enlightenment, as well as
the ideals which had an even deeper history in English common law and Magna
Carta. These roots run deep and they are still vital.
Our
Declaration of Rights of 1689 was not only the foundation of our constitutional
monarchy but also provided the source of so many of the principles reiterated
often verbatim in the American Bill of Rights of 1791. And those roots go even
further back in history. The US Supreme Court Historical Society has calculated
that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not
least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to
checks and balances. This is the reason why the stands of stone by the rivers
at Runnymede, where Magna Carta was signed in the year 1215, this stone records
that an acre of that ancient and historic site was given to the United States
of America by the people of the United Kingdom to symbolize our shared resolve
in support of liberty and in memory of President John F. Kennedy.
Distinguished
members of the 119th Congress, it is here in these very halls that this spirit
of liberty and the promise of America's founders is present in every session
and every vote cast, not by the will of one but by the deliberation of many
representing the living mosaic of the United States. In both of our countries,
it is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse and free societies that gives us
our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that
so tragically exist in both our societies today.
And Mr.
Speaker, for many here and for myself, the Christian faith is a firm anchor and
daily inspiration that guides us not only personally but together as members of
our community. Having devoted a large part of my life to interfaith
relationships and greater understanding, it is that faith in the triumph of
light over darkness which I have found confirmed countless times. Through it, I
am inspired by the profound respect that develops as people of different faiths
grow in their understanding of each other. It is why it is my hope, my prayer
that in these turbulent times working together and with our international
partners we can stem the beating of plowshares into swords. I am mindful that
we are still in the season of Easter, the season that most strengthens my hope.
It is why I believe with all my heart that the essence of our two nations is a
generosity of spirit and a duty to foster compassion, to promote peace, to
deepen mutual understanding and to value all people of all faiths and of none.
The alliance
that our two nations have built over the centuries, and for which we are
profoundly grateful to the American people, is truly unique. And that alliance
is part of what Henry Kissinger described as Kennedy's soaring vision of an
Atlantic partnership based on twin pillars: Europe and America. That
partnership I believe, Mr. Speaker, is more important today than it has ever
been. The first reigning British sovereign to set foot in America was my
grandfather King George VI. He visited in 1939 with my beloved grandmother
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The forces of fascism in Europe were on the
march, and sometime before the United States had joined us in the defense of
freedom, our shared values prevailed. Today we find ourselves in a new era, but
those values remain.
It is an era
that is in many ways more volatile and more dangerous than the world to which
my late mother spoke in this chamber in 1991. The challenges we face are too
great for any one nation to bear alone, but in this unpredictable environment,
our alliance cannot rest on past achievements or assume that foundational
principles simply endure. As my prime minister said last month, ours is an
indispensable partnership. We must not disregard everything that has sustained
us for the last 80 years; instead we must build on it.
Renewal
today starts with security. The United Kingdom recognizes that the threats we
face demand a transformation in British defense. That is why our country, in
order to be fit for the future, has committed to the biggest sustained increase
in defense spending since the Cold War, during part of which over 50 years ago
I served with immense pride in the Royal Navy following in the naval footsteps
of my father Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, my grandfather King George VI, my
great uncle Lord Mountbatten and my great-grandfather King George V.
This year of
course also marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. This atrocity was a defining
moment for America, and your pain and shock were felt around the whole world.
During my visit to New York, my wife and I will again pay our respects to the
victims, the families and the bravery shown in the face of terrible loss. We
stood with you then, and we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day
that shall never be forgotten. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO
invoked Article 5 for the first time and the United Nations Security Council
was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together as our people
have done so for more than a century, shoulder-to-shoulder through two world
wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared
security.
Today, Mr.
Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and
her most courageous people. It is needed in order to secure a truly just and
lasting peace. From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously melting ice
caps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United States armed
forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each other's
defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and
Europeans safe from our common adversaries. Our defense, intelligence and
security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in
years but in decades. Today thousands of US service personnel, defense
officials and their families are stationed in the United Kingdom, as British
personnel serve with equal pride across 30 American states.
We are
building F-35s together and we have agreed the most ambitious submarine program
in history, AUKUS. And we are doing it in partnership with Australia, a country
of which I'm also immensely proud to serve as sovereign. We do not embark on
these remarkable endeavors 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.
Our common
ideals were not only crucial for liberty and equality, they are also the
foundation of our shared prosperity. The rule of law, the certainty of stable
and accessible rules, an independent judiciary resolving disputes and
delivering impartial justice, these features created the conditions for
centuries of unmatched economic growth in our two countries. This is why our
governments are concluding new economic and technology agreements to write the
next chapter of our joint prosperity and ensure that British and American
ingenuity continues to lead the world.
Our nations
are combining talent and resources in the technologies of tomorrow, our new
partnerships in nuclear fusion and quantum computing and in AI and drug
discovery holding the promise of saving countless lives. More broadly, we
celebrate the $430 billion in annual trade that continues to grow, the $1.7
trillion in mutual investment that fuels that innovation, and the millions of
jobs on both sides of the Atlantic supported across both economies. These are
strong foundations on which to continue to build for generations yet unborn.
Our ties in
education, research and cultural exchange empower citizens and future leaders
of both countries. The Marshall Scholarship, named after the great General
George Marshall, and the association of which I am so proud to be patron, are
emblematic of the connection between our two countries. Since its founding,
more than 2,300 scholarships have been awarded, opening doors for Americans
from all walks of life to study at the United Kingdom's leading universities.
So as we
look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared
responsibility to safeguard nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset.
Millennia before our nations existed, before any border drawn, the mountains of
Scotland and Appalachia were one, a single continuous range forged in the
ancient collision of continents. The natural wonders of the United States of
America are indeed a unique asset, and generations of Americans have risen to
this calling. Indigenous, political and civic leaders, people in rural
communities and cities alike have all helped to protect and nurture what
President Theodore Roosevelt called the glorious heritage of this land's
extraordinary natural splendor on which so much of his prosperity has always
depended. Yet even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation
must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems which
threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of nature. We
ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems, in other words
nature's own economy, provide the foundation for our prosperity and our
national security.
The story of
the United Kingdom and the United States is at its heart a story of
reconciliation, renewal and remarkable partnership. From the bitter divisions
of 250 years ago, we forged a friendship that has grown into one of the most
consequential alliances in human history. I pray with all my heart that our
alliance will continue to defend our shared values with our partners in Europe
and the Commonwealth and across the world, and that we ignore the clarion calls
to become ever more inward-looking.
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. 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. And so to the United States of
America on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to
each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the
world. God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.
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