JPMorgan CEO Celebrates King Charles’ Birthday

On Thursday, Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., threw an extravagant party at the bank’s sleek Manhattan headquarters to mark King Charles’ 77th birthday.

It was quite the celebration—some might even call it a “knee-jerk,” as the Brits would say—with a large Union Jack projected onto the side of JPMorgan’s impressive $3 billion building.

While the King wasn’t present, members from the British Consulate and various celebrities, including actor Brian Cox and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, stopped by to join in the festivities, raising their glasses to “Long Live the King.” Interestingly, they cheered for President Trump first, according to reports.

Charles marked his birthday on November 14th, following some serious health challenges, including a cancer diagnosis, although details about the specifics of his condition remain private.

The event took place in a newly designed venue by Sir Norman Foster and featured a menu of traditional British dishes such as Yorkshire pudding and beef pie with Stilton cheese. Attendees enjoyed the ambiance, which included photos of the royal family alongside past Presidents like Ronald Reagan and Trump.

For those who preferred something different, there was also sushi and nigiri available—because, you know, not everyone is keen on British pub fare.

Guests included kilt-wearing members of Congress and British nobility mingling with reality TV stars from “The Real Housewives of New York City,” which created an intriguing mix.

This belated celebration might have felt a bit odd for several reasons—not least of all that the King was far away, and it came at a time when the nation is gearing up to celebrate its 250th anniversary of independence from Britain.

However, for Dimon, this event wasn’t completely out of the blue. He maintains close relationships with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and is acquainted with French President Emmanuel Macron as well. He had met King Charles at the World Investment Summit in the UK back in 2023.

During his address, Dimon took the opportunity to emphasize his vision of strengthening ties between the U.S. and Europe, thanking Britain for its past support against Nazism but expressing concerns about the risks of diluting that transatlantic partnership.

With a lighter tone, he remarked to the approximately 400 attendees, “There’s a whiskey bar over there. Thankfully, it’s mostly Scottish whisky.”

Varun Chandra, Starmer’s special adviser, attempted humor through a series of what attendees described as “very unpleasant and overused dad jokes” about UK-U.S. differences, which didn’t quite land as intended.

Some guests were less than amused, noting that the room was silent, waiting for him to wrap up his speech, which addressed quirky pronunciation differences and misunderstandings about “football.”

Dimon seemed to enjoy the night, engaging with guests for over two hours, staying until many of the JPMorgan executives had already left. His passion for history was evident as he acknowledged the historical connections between JPMorgan and Britain.

J. Pierpont Morgan, the bank’s founder, hailed from a family of English merchants, and his son Jack was a close friend of the King’s grandfather, King George VI.

However, the irony of the event was not lost on those from the British consulate. Chandra pointed out, “We’re at the brink of celebrating America’s 250th anniversary of independence from the British monarchy, and here we are in a symbol of American prosperity, marking the birthday of the British monarch.”

Interestingly, back in the 1600s, King Charles II expelled the Dutch from New Amsterdam, handing it over to his brother, the Duke of York, who renamed it New York.

As of now, JPMorgan has not responded to any inquiries regarding the event.