Last night, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a celebratory event at Mansion House in the City of London. I’m not really sure what the hell that means, but the Guardian explained it thusly: “a reception and dinner to recognise the work of the City of London civic institutions and Livery Companies – the city’s ancient and modern trade guilds.” Like, a better-business bureau with costumes?? I’ll stop trying to ‘Murica-splain this British stuff at some point. Charles and Camilla have been in London for a few weeks, after their “summer” at Balmoral, where they were actually staying at Birkhall. Charles was especially active in Scotland over the summer, doing events and making all kinds of public appearances. Camilla less so.

For Wednesday night’s dinner, Camilla repeated a Bruce Oldfield gown. She last wore this gown in Germany earlier this year, for the big state dinner in Berlin. Last night, she paired the old frock with Queen Mary’s Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which was one of QEII’s favorites and one which she wore frequently. Camilla’s diamond necklace and earrings also belonged to QEII. At the dinner, the king made a speech about interfaith dialogue, understanding and respect:

King Charles has stressed the importance of mutual understanding in religious faiths and the space to think and speak freely, saying it is “never more vital than at times of international turmoil and heartbreaking loss of life”. In a speech at Mansion House in the City of London, against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel conflict, Charles stressed that tolerance and civility were among the virtues that Britain could draw on.

Reflecting on what made Britain “so special”, he said the nation could draw on “deep wells” including “the breathing space we afford one another.”

Though he did not directly mention the Gaza conflict, he told guests: “This well carries the politeness and respect we owe to one another; our willingness to put others first and treat them as we would wish them to treat us. To listen to their views and, if we do not agree, to remind ourselves to engage in a way which is passionate, but not pugnacious. This includes the practice of our religious faiths, in freedom and mutual understanding… Such understanding, both at home and overseas, is never more vital than at times of international turmoil and heartbreaking loss of life.”

“The instinct to cooperate wherever and whenever possible is deep within us. Even in the most fractious times – when disagreements are polished, paraded and asserted – there is in our land a kind of muscle memory that it does not have to be like this; that the temptation to turn ourselves into a shouting or recriminatory society must be resisted, or at least heavily mitigated whenever possible, especially in the digital sphere, where civilised debate too often gives way to rancour and acrimony.”

[From The Guardian]

In some sense, he’s advocating for the British Way – to paper over ideological, religious, moral and political differences with a thin veneer of forced politeness. That being said, Charles’s message is diplomatic and he threaded the needle in a smart way. I don’t know, it was better than avoiding the topic altogether.

LMAO, look at all of the medals Charles gave himself! He’s completely run out of room on his lapel/breast pocket.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.