Hello darkness

In a new age of revolt, it took a king to remind America of its republican values: the rule of law, democracy and the power of its international example.

King Charles III chooses his words with precision — as did his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Royal meaning must often be inferred.

But by regal standards, his speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday was strikingly direct.

Charles neither rebuked nor criticized the Trump administration. But the monarch implicitly frowned on America’s current political direction and defended pillars of Western democracy: domestic checks and balances, alliances and interfaith tolerance.

Charles further called for the strong defense of Ukraine. And “nature,” he said, must be protected — in a coded call for tackling climate change, which President Donald Trump has called a “con job.”

And the king stressed that friends can disagree without fracturing forever bonds, an occluded reference to the “special relationship,” which has been battered by the UK’s refusal to join the Iran war.