King Charles has stressed the importance of mutual understanding in religious faiths and the space to think and speak freely, saying it is “never more vital than at times of international turmoil and heartbreaking loss of life”.

In a speech at Mansion House in the City of London, against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel conflict, Charles stressed that tolerance and civility were among the virtues that Britain could draw on.

Reflecting on what made Britain “so special”, he said the nation could draw on “deep wells” including “the breathing space we afford one another.”

Though he did not directly mention the Gaza conflict, he told guests: “This well carries the politeness and respect we owe to one another; our willingness to put others first and treat them as we would wish them to treat us. To listen to their views and, if we do not agree, to remind ourselves to engage in a way which is passionate, but not pugnacious. This includes the practice of our religious faiths, in freedom and mutual understanding.”

He continued: “Such understanding, both at home and overseas, is never more vital than at times of international turmoil and heartbreaking loss of life.”

The king and queen were attending a reception and dinner to recognise the work of the City of London civic institutions and Livery Companies – the city’s ancient and modern trade guilds.

In his first visit as monarch to the City of London, he told guests that Britain was a “community of communities” bound by shared values and that “there is far, far more that unites us than divides us”.

He said through the nation’s “deep wells”, it could “raise hope, shared purpose and, above all, a genuine togetherness that will see us through good times and bad”.

He added: “The instinct to cooperate wherever and whenever possible is deep within us. Even in the most fractious times – when disagreements are polished, paraded and asserted – there is in our land a kind of muscle memory that it does not have to be like this; that the temptation to turn ourselves into a shouting or recriminatory society must be resisted, or at least heavily mitigated whenever possible, especially in the digital sphere, where civilised debate too often gives way to rancour and acrimony.”

During the visit, in a ceremony dating back to 1689 and King William III that traditionally takes place on the first visit of a new Sovereign, he was presented with the Pearl Sword, which is thought to have been presented to the City of London by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571. He then returned the sword, confirming the Lord Mayor’s authority in the Square Mile when the monarch is not present.