US President Donald Trump has insisted the King agrees with him that Iran should never be allowed nuclear weapons.
The American leader made the remarks at the White House state dinner on Tuesday evening, saying he had “militarily defeated that particular opponent”.
Mr Trump in his toast at the grand event in honour of Charles and the Queen said: “We’re doing a little Middle East work right now… and we’re doing very well.
“We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever, Charles agrees with me even more than I do, we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon.
“They know that, and they’ve known it right now, very powerfully.”
The remarks risk drawing the monarch into the political row over the crisis in the Middle East.
The King’s most diplomatically sensitive state visit to date comes amid a backdrop of a barrage of criticism levelled by Mr Trump at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the war in Iran.
The president has accused the UK of having a “terrible” approach to the conflict.
The King meanwhile called on Mr Trump to “renew” the bonds of friendship between America and the UK at this “critical time”.
Charles, in a shorter, less formal and more personal speech than his historic address to Congress, told the American leader it was “an important opportunity” and that the two nations have stood together in “the best of times and worst of times”.
In his toast at the grand White House state dinner, the King said the “indispensable alliance” was a “cornerstone of prosperity and security for both British and American citizens”.
In his own toast, Mr Trump congratulated the King on his fantastic speech to Congress, saying: “He got the Democrats to stand. I’ve never been able to do that.”
Mr Trump said, despite America’s independence in 1776, the relationship between the UK and the US was “unbreakable in any conflict” and had grown into “a friendship unlike any other on earth, a very, very special and incredible friendship”.
The monarch, whose state visit comes amid both the Iran war and conflict in Ukraine, made reference to “those who wish us harm across the world”, adding in his toast on Tuesday evening: “Those challenges encourage us to reaffirm, tonight, the basis on which our partnership has been built”.
And in a personal gift to Mr Trump, the King presented the president with the original bell from the Royal Navy Second World War submarine HMS Trump, quipping: “If you should ever need to get hold of us… well just give us a ring.”
The King reflected on the challenging relationship between the UK and the US in the past, saying: “Yes, we have had our moments of difficulty even in more recent history.
“When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the ‘special’ back into our relationship after a crisis in the Middle East.
“Nearly 70 years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today…”
Charles added: “I am so glad we have an important opportunity, at this critical time, to renew those bonds of history and friendship between our nations and our peoples.”
He told the guests: “Tonight, we are here to renew an indispensable alliance which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security for both British and American citizens.
“Our people have fought and fallen together in defence of the values we cherish.
“Across the ocean, and from coast to coast, we have traded, innovated and created together. We have stood together through the best and worst of times.”
In a lighter moment, the King remarked how Mr Trump has said how if it were not for the US, European countries would be speaking German, and he joked in return: “Dare I say that, if it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French!”
And he also quipped about the US’s space travel, saying: “Now, I know you have big plans for the moon, Mr President, but I’ve actually checked the papers and I rather suspect it is already part of the Commonwealth, I’m afraid.”
The Queen was dressed in a deep pink Fiona Clare evening gown, and an amethyst and diamond necklace which belonged to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent, while the King and Mr Trump were in white tie and First Lady Melania Trump wore a pale silk off the shoulder Christian Dior gown for the special gathering.
Among the 120 guests were golfing ace Rory McIlroy, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren, outgoing Apple chief Tim Cook, Eric and Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos, and the UK’s ambassador to the US Sir Christian Turner.
Others on the list included US secretary of state Marco Rubio, his UK counterpart Yvette Cooper, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The King’s earlier address to Congress on Capitol Hill saw him become only the second British monarch to do so after his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, and the first British king.
Charles told Congress that the partnership between the two nations is “more important today than it has ever been”.
On Wednesday, Charles and Camilla will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that brought down New York’s Twin Towers, by laying flowers at the one of the memorial pools.
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