Addresses to both Houses of Parliament

Publications / Data

Addresses to both Houses of Parliament

Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses Parliament. ©No 10 Downing Street / Simon Dawson

Addresses to both Houses of Parliament can be important elements both of UK national occasions and of visits by major foreign dignitaries. Who gives them, and where?

Last updated: 14 July 2025

Formal Addresses to both Houses of Parliament are made by the Monarch (in addition to the King's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament), and by foreign dignitaries visiting the UK.

Formal Addresses by the Monarch

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made a formal Address to both Houses of Parliament on six occasions – to mark, respectively:

in 1965, the 700th anniversary of the Parliament of Simon de Montfort;
in 1977, her Silver Jubilee;
in 1988, the 300th anniversary of the Revolution of 1688-89 and the Bill of Rights;
in 1995, the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day; and
in 2002 and 2012, her Golden and Diamond Jubilees, respectively.

All her late Majesty's formal Addresses to both Houses were made in Westminster Hall except for the first, which she gave in the Royal Gallery.

His Majesty King Charles III made a formal Address to both Houses for the first time on 12 September 2022, in Westminster Hall, in response to the presentations by the Speaker and Lord Speaker of the Addresses of condolence to him which were agreed by each House following the death of the Queen.

Formal Addresses by visiting foreign dignitaries

Formal Addresses to both Houses are made by Heads of State and by other foreign leaders, including Heads of Government of Commonwealth realms.

With respect to Heads of State, there is no necessary connection between formal Addresses to both Houses and State Visits to the UK: State Visits to the UK do not have to include a formal Address to both Houses, and there have been plenty which have not (including, especially famously, that of US President Trump in 2019). Equally, several overseas Heads of State have made formal Addresses to both Houses while they have been in the UK on a visit other than a State Visit - most recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2023.

In terms of venues on the parliamentary estate, the vast majority of formal Addresses by visiting Heads of State and other foreign dignitaries take place in the Royal Gallery or Robing Room. Addresses in Westminster Hall are extremely rare.

The question of whether a State Visit or other official visit to the UK by a foreign dignitary will include a formal Address to both Houses - and if so, where - is determined between the Foreign, Comonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the parliamentary authorities and, if it is a State Visit, Buckingham Palace and its officials in Parliament.

Formal Addresses to both Houses of Parliament in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, and their venues on the parliamentary estate • The table includes formal Addresses up to and including that of the Amir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on 3 December 2024.

Category of Address-giver	(Type of) Address-giver / occasion	Westminster Hall	Royal Gallery	Robing Room	Other	Total
UK Monarchs (totals)	Queen Elizabeth II	5	1
	King Charles III	1
UK Monarch Sub-Totals		6	1			7
Foreign dignitaries	Head of State on a State Visit	3 (French President de Gaulle, 1960; South African President Mandela, 1996; US President Obama, 2011)	16	12	1 (Jordanian King Abdullah II, 2001)
	Head of State not on a State Visit	1 (Ukranian President Zelensky, 2023)	3	3	1 (Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, via videolink, 2022)
	Figure other than a serving Head of State	1 (Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, 2012)	8	1 (Canadian Prime Minister Harper, 2013)
Foreign dignitaries (sub-totals)(totals)		5	27	16	2	50
*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Total (UK Monarchs & foreign dignitaries)		11	28	16	2	57

Sources: Hansard Society data compiled from House of Commons Library, 'Addresses to members of both Houses of Parliament', last updated 23 November 2023; Royal Family website, 'Inward State Visits since 1952'

Speeches in Parliament by foreign dignitaries which are not formal Addresses to both Houses

Formal Addresses to both Houses are distinguished from other speeches which are made to MPs and Peers by visiting foreign dignitaries. In some circumstances, the two types of event may appear little different from each other: Pope Benedict made a speech in Westminster Hall in 2010 but this was not a formal Address to both Houses. Other speeches which have been made by visiting foreign dignitaries and which have not been formal Addresses have more obviously not been full parliamentary occasions: for example, foreign leaders have spoken at events hosted by All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) and Select Committees.

Speeches by foreign dignitaries to MPs and Peers in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III other than formal Addresses to both Houses, and their venues on the parliamentary estate • The table includes speeches up to and including that of Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska on 29 November 2022.

Type of speech-giver / occasion	Westminster Hall	Royal Gallery	Grand Committee Room	Other	Totals
Head of State on a State Visit	1 (Pope Benedict XVI, 2010)		1 (Portuguese President Soares, 1993)		2
Head of State not on a State Visit			1 (Argentinian President Menem, 1998)	2 (Nicaraguan President Ortega, 1989; Malawian President Joyce Banda, 2013)	3
Figure other than a serving Head of State		2	5	1 (Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska, 2022)	8
Totals	1	2	7	3	13

Sources: Hansard Society data compiled from House of Commons Library, 'Addresses to members of both Houses of Parliament', CBP04092, last updated 20 February 2023; Royal Family website, 'Inward State Visits since 1952'

Latest / Highlights

News / Why MPs can’t just quit: The curious case of the Chiltern Hundreds - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 129

Why can’t MPs simply resign, and why does leaving the House of Commons still involve a medieval-sounding detour via the Chiltern Hundreds or its less glamorous cousin the Manor of Northstead? This week we unravel the history, constitutional logic and legal fudges behind this curious workaround, with some memorable resignations from the past along the way. We also assess the Government’s legislative programme as the Session heads toward its expected May close, including the striking lack of bills published for pre-legislative scrutiny. Finally, as Parliament begins the five-yearly process of renewing consent for the UK’s armed forces, we examine why an Armed Forces Bill is required and hear from Jayne Kirkham MP on how her Ten Minute Rule Bill helped extend the new Armed Forces Commissioner’s oversight to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 2-6 February 2026

The new Lord Speaker will take over the Woolsack and the new Archbishop of Canterbury will be introduced to the House of Lords. In the Commons, Cabinet ministers John Healey, David Lammy, Liz Kendall and Emma Reynolds will face MPs’ questions, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Treasury Minister James Murray give evidence to Select Committees. MPs will decide whether to carry over the High Speed Rail (Crewe–Manchester) Bill for repurposing as the Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill and will debate legislation to abolish the two-child benefit limit. The Conservatives will choose the topic(s) for an Opposition Day debate, and there’s a backbench debate on Palestine. Peers will debate bills on prioritisation of medical training places and on Budget-related changes to National Insurance Contributions.

News / Assisted dying bill: How could the Parliament Act be used? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 128

As the assisted dying bill grinds through the House of Lords under the weight of more than a thousand amendments, Lord Falconer has signalled that time is running out. With the Bill unlikely to complete its Lords stages this Session, he has openly raised the possibility of using the Parliament Act to override the upper House in the next Session. In this episode we explore what that would mean, how it could work in practice, and the political choices now facing ministers and Parliament. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Acast · YouTube · Other apps · RSS

News / Who really sets MPs’ pay – And why you might be wrong about it. A conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of IPSA - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 126

What are MPs actually paid and what does the public fund to help them do their job? In this conversation with Richard Lloyd, chair of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) we explore the delicate balance between supporting MPs to do their jobs effectively and enforcing strict standards on the use of public money. We discuss how IPSA has shifted from a rule-heavy “traffic cop” to a principles-based regulator, why compliance is now very high, and the security risks and pressures facing MPs‘ offices as workloads rise and abuse becomes more common. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | ACAST | YouTube | Other apps | RSS

News / Is being Prime Minister an impossible job? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 121

Why do UK Prime Ministers seem to burn out so quickly? We are joined by historian Robert Saunders to examine why the role has become so punishing in recent years. From Brexit and COVID to fractured parties, rigid governing conventions and relentless media scrutiny, the discussion explores what has gone wrong – and what kind of leadership and political culture might be needed to make the job survivable again.