India, May 3 -- Not everything that royalty deigns to indulge in can be described as epochal or even regal or lofty. Being human necessitates the performance of several acts that are innately nondescript. However, the speech of King Charles III at a joint session of the US Congress marked only the second such opportunity for a British monarch (since 1991 when Queen Elizabeth II addressed the assemblage at the same hallowed portals), and his very presence proved magnificent. In many ways, Charles stole the show from his mother, and probably over everyone else who's ever addressed the US Congress. The King was impactful, erudite, dignified, charming, witty and statesmanlike during his historic address. What came as a pleasant surprise to onlookers, even to those familiar with his style, was his unassuming, unhurried, unruffled, understated eloquence. In a way, Charles finally came of age that day, at the ripe old number of 77. His very long apprenticeship had ended with the Queen's passing and his ascendance to the throne in 2022. But for some reason, and perhaps because he was almost eternally the prince, we never took him seriously. Yet, in a telling exhibition of leadership and erudition, King Charles finally made the cut, with his brilliance on what is actually the world's biggest stage. An expert speech analyst, while praising his diction, style and delivery, remarked that the King's pauses were perhaps inordinately long. One was forced to respond by saying that the royal speaker evidently wished to ensure that his (American) audience understood the import of each phrase, particularly the subtle deftness of his British humour. My own favourite was his harmless but timeless quip, about the elapsing of 250 years being referred to as 'just the other day' in the United Kingdom. But there were several moments which had a far-reaching impact upon the minds of the immediate gathering and upon the world which watched him wax eloquent on video. King Charles cited the Magna Carta, the rule of law, the time-tested principles of democracy, cooperation, partnership and unified fortification of global security. He made those firmly ensconced in the galleries of power, wince when he specially mentioned the need for checks and balances in the exercise of executive power. At least one gentleman, seated in a prime position, was reluctant to rise, whenever a standing ovation was in the offing, but rise, he did. Charles was punchy without being abrasive. He was forthright without being undignified. He was subtle, even while being blunt. And he warned of the consequences of unbridled, unchecked power. His witty allusions to Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, the two "Georges" and the "rebels with a cause", were extremely well received. By quoting history often and also stating with a stiff upper lip that he wasn't visiting the US for some "cunning rearguard action" he won over even the diehards on the floor. But what stood out even more from the King's speech (which is also the title of a famous film on his grandfather, King George's struggles to speak in public), was the absolute charm of Charles. He smiled ever so daintily, almost like a shy bride, whenever he received a standing ovation from the Congress or a receptive collective chuckle at his numerous humorous jabs. One used to wonder, growing up in the 1980s (and this is no exaggeration) exactly what Diana Spencer, our princess of hearts, saw in this rather wooden, often gawky, gentleman. And later we learnt that his heart had always belonged to the present queen, Camilla, and that he'd wedded Diana only upon his mom's insistence. The reason I mention these personal aspects of the King's persona is that Charles today has put paid to all delusions of inadequacy. True, he is not encumbered with the burdens of actual governance. And many people are crediting his undoubtedly outstanding speech-writers for his epochal eloquence. Yet, and momentously so, King Charles has just reminded the modern world what balanced, sane, just leadership actually appears and sounds like. And even if the incumbents of tangibly powerful positions are not adorned with a smile as charming as that of Charles, at least their intent can be more visionary than it evidently is....