King Charles addressed the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting on Tuesday afternoon and resolutely declared that “acts of violence will never succeed.”

In the opening remarks of his address to a joint session of Congress on the eve of America’s 250th birthday, Charles broke the ice with a joke about “language” before condemning Saturday’s WHCD shooting, which marked the third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump.

“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 semiquincentennial year of the Declaration of Independence,” he began. “And for all of that time, our destinies as nations have been interlinked. As Oscar Wilde said, we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.”

Among his proceeding remarks about the WHCD shooting, Charles emphasized the unity and shared commitment to democracy between the United Kingdom and the U.S.:

So, ladies, gentlemen, you 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 of the incident, not far from this great building, that sought to harm the leadership of your nation and to foment wider fear and discord. Let me say with unshakable resolve, such acts of violence will never succeed.

Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries. Standing here today, it is hard not to feel the weight of history on my shoulder, because the modern relationship between our two nations and our own peoples spans not merely 250 years, but over four centuries. It is extraordinary to think that I am the 19th in our line of sovereigns to study with daily attention the affairs of America. So, I come here today with the highest respect for the United States Congress, this citadel of democracy created to represent the voice of all American people, to advance sacred rights and freedoms.

Charles recalled that his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, also spoke to a joint session of Congress in 1991 — an example of the historical link between the two nations that prompted him to “express the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States.”

Watch above via CNN.

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