Congress awaits a royal address from King Charles

Valerie Yurk and Savannah Behrmann, CQ-Roll Call on Apr 1, 2026

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WASHINGTON — During the nation’s 250th anniversary, the British are coming — this time by invitation.

His Majesty Charles III, king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is set to address a joint meeting of Congress on April 28, House and Senate leaders announced Wednesday.

“The relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom has evolved into one of the most consequential partnerships in modern history,” the congressional leaders wrote in a letter to the king. “We believe an Address to Congress will provide a unique opportunity to share your vision for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history.”

Charles will also attend a dinner at the White House on April 28, President Donald Trump posted on social media. Trump visited the United Kingdom in September, and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in January became the first speaker in U.S. history to address the British Parliament.

“I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect,” Trump wrote of the upcoming visit. “It will be TERRIFIC!”

Ironically, the announcement comes days after the so-called “No Kings” rallies in protest of the Trump administration drew record numbers across the U.S.

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address a joint meeting of Congress, affirming the unity and “identical” views of the two countries in the wake of the Gulf War.

Several Irish American lawmakers, including then-Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, D-Mass., boycotted the queen’s speech over the Troubles in Northern Ireland, according to reporting at the time. (She also made a splash donning a peach-colored hat despite House rules preventing hat-wearing on the floor. For Her Majesty, Congress made an exception.)

The last address to Congress by a foreign dignitary was by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, almost two years ago.

Despite recent across-the-pond visits, some tension still remains between the old foes. Just after Johnson gave his address to Parliament in January, Trump took to social media to criticize the United Kingdom for ceding British territory overseas and his ongoing quest for U.S. control of Greenland.

More recently, Trump has slammed U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer for holding off on allowing U.S. aircraft to use British bases for operations against Iran.

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember,” Trump wrote on social media in March. “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”

Charles may also be confronted with ongoing fallout from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that has rattled political circles in the U.S. and across the pond.

The possible flashpoint comes as some royals and politicians abroad — including the king’s brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew — have lost power due to their ties to Epstein, even as others in the U.S. have not faced the same fate.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., sponsor of the law that mandated the Justice Department release its Epstein-related files, on Tuesday wrote a letter to the king to ask that he “privately meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse, so they may speak to you directly about the ways powerful individuals and institutions failed them.”

“Survivors want this meeting,” Khanna wrote. “I make this request in light of recent developments in the United Kingdom, including renewed scrutiny of individuals and institutions with ties to Epstein and his network.”