King Charles Engages CEOs to Boost US-UK Investment
During his state visit to New York, King Charles III convened leaders from some of the largest global corporations to promote investment between the US and the UK, reinforcing the relationship between the two allies. Charles engaged with senior executives from Bank of America Corp., Blackstone Inc., Comcast Corp., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, JPMorgan Chase & Co., OpenAI, and Tishman Speyer at a gathering held at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday. Representatives from GSK Plc, Octopus Energy Group Ltd., and Rolls-Royce Plc also attended the event aimed at highlighting US-UK commercial relationships spanning the creative, energy, healthcare, financial services, and technology sectors. The British monarch and his consort, Queen Camilla, concentrated on fostering economic and cultural exchanges during the third day of their visit, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Previously, Charles was accompanied by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Michael as they paid their respects at the memorial dedicated to the Sept. 11 attacks. The journey to the financial epicenter of the United States comes after a day filled with ceremonial events in Washington, DC, where Charles engaged with President Donald Trump at the White House and delivered remarks to a joint session of Congress. He attended a state banquet alongside the founder of Amazon, the CEO of Apple, the CEO of Nvidia, a prominent venture capitalist, and the CEO of Blackstone. On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his grievances regarding UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to allocate resources to the US-led conflict with Iran, while simultaneously expressing admiration for Charles.
Nonetheless, the president conceded that “when you like the king of a country so much, it probably helps your relationship with the prime minister.” In a typically incisive address to Congress on Tuesday, Charles implored US lawmakers to dismiss isolationism and uphold America’s global leadership. He stated that the ideals shared by the two countries, including the rule of law and an independent judiciary, have established a foundation for mutual prosperity. “This is why our governments are concluding new economic and technology agreements – to write the next chapter of our joint prosperity and ensure that British and American ingenuity continues to lead the world,” Charles stated. The United Kingdom and the United States allocate $1.7 trillion in mutual investments and engage in $430 billion of bilateral trade each year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Starmer announced that AstraZeneca Plc would invest £300 million in British life sciences, crediting an agreement with the US that spurred an increase in UK spending on drugs. Among the executives who welcomed the king’s arrival at Rockefeller Center were Alphabet’s Ruth Porat, Barclays Plc’s CS Venkatakrishnan, Bank of America Corp.’s Brian Moynihan, and BP Plc’s Meg O’Neill. Comcast Corp. Chairman Brian Roberts, whose company’s holdings include NBCUniversal and Sky, stated that the two countries “share a deep commitment to creativity and innovation.” Schwarzman, whose Blackstone has pledged to invest £100 billion in the UK over the next decade, expressed his pride in supporting a stronger UK-US partnership that fosters jobs, innovation, and shared prosperity.
