– Trump has said that without the United States Europeans would be speaking German, but without Britain Americans would be speaking French, King Charles joked during a gala dinner on Tuesday.

Trump had already joked with the King at his own expense when he himself had taken the floor first: – You got the Democrats to stand up in Congress during your speech, I have never managed that, the President said.

The President also said that during his previous visit to Windsor Castle he had gained the impression that the building complex was so large that it seemed simply to continue indefinitely, and that this fascinated a man with a background in the real estate business. Whereupon Charles delivered a witticism about the construction work in the East Wing of the White House.

The sense of humour of the English-speaking peoples is refreshing. Admittedly, this is in part a piece of theatre that serves a purpose, but it reflects something deep in both Britons and Americans, and one struggles to imagine Merz and Macron doing anything similar.

A cynic might perhaps add that the future population of Britain risks speaking entirely different languages than English if they do not sharpen up considerably, and that rather quickly.