List of people who have addressed both houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

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The Palace of Westminster, meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords
President of the United States Ronald Reagan addressing Parliament, 8 June 1982

This is a list of people who have addressed both Houses of the United Kingdom Parliament at the same time. Although English and later British monarchs have jointly addressed the House of Commons and the House of Lords on several occasions since the 16th century,[1] the first foreign dignitary to do so was French President Albert Lebrun in March 1939. The list excludes the speeches given by (or on behalf of) the Sovereign at the State Opening of Parliament[2] and at the close of each parliamentary session.

Only four people besides the reigning monarch at the time have addressed both Houses together on more than one occasion. Nelson Mandela addressed Members of the Commons and the Lords in 1993 and in 1996 as President of South Africa. Mikhail Gorbachev addressed the Houses as a secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and a foreign delegate of the Soviet Union in 1984 and again, in 1993, on behalf of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Shimon Peres addressed the Houses as Prime Minister of Israel in 1986 and as President in 2008. Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Houses as President of Ukraine, the first to address in the Chamber (albeit via remote video link from Ukraine), in 2022 during the war in Ukraine.

People who have addressed both houses of the United Kingdom Parliament

Date Visitor Position Location Ref
23 March 1939 Albert Lebrun President of France Westminster Hall [3][4]
21 October 1942 Jan Christiaan Smuts Prime Minister of South Africa
Royal Gallery
 [nb 1][3]
11 May 1944 William Lyon Mackenzie King Prime Minister of Canada [3]
17 May 1945 George VI King of the United Kingdom [nb 2][3]
21 August 1945 [nb 3][3]
9 March 1950 Vincent Auriol President of France [5]
26 October 1950 George VI King of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [nb 4][6]
22 October 1954 Haile Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia Royal Gallery [3]
24 April 1956 Nikolai Bulganin Premier of the Soviet Union [nb 1][3][7]
24 April 1956 Nikita Khrushchev First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [nb 1][3]
7 April 1960 Charles de Gaulle President of France Westminster Hall [4][8]
22 June 1965 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom Royal Gallery [nb 5][3]
28 April 1966 U Thant Secretary-General of the United Nations [3]
9 February 1967 Alexei Kosygin Premier of the Soviet Union [9]
28 April 1969 Giuseppe Saragat President of Italy [3]
3 March 1970 Willy Brandt
Chancellor of West Germany
 [3]
23 June 1976 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing President of France [3]
4 May 1977 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [nb 6][10]
8 June 1982 Ronald Reagan President of the United States Royal Gallery [11]
24 October 1984 François Mitterrand President of France [3]
18 December 1984 Mikhail Gorbachev Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Foreign delegate of the Soviet Union 		Grand Committee Room [nb 1][3]
23 January 1986 Shimon Peres Prime Minister of Israel [nb 1][3]
28 April 1986
Juan Carlos I
King of Spain
 Royal Gallery [12]
2 July 1986 Richard von Weizsäcker President of West Germany [3]
20 July 1988 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [nb 7][3]
8 May 1989 Daniel Ortega President of Nicaragua Committee Room 14 [nb 1][3]
24 October 1990 Francesco Cossiga President of Italy Royal Gallery [3]
10 November 1992 Boris Yeltsin President of Russia [3]
28 April 1993 Mário Soares President of Portugal Grand Committee Room [nb 1][3]
5 May 1993 Nelson Mandela President of the African National Congress [nb 1][13]
7 December 1993 Mikhail Gorbachev Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [nb 1][3]
6 May 1995 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [nb 8][3]
29 November 1995 Bill Clinton President of the United States Royal Gallery [14]
15 May 1996 Jacques Chirac President of France Royal Gallery [3]
11 July 1996 Nelson Mandela President of South Africa Westminster Hall [3][4]
16 July 1996 Tenzin Gyatso Dalai Lama Grand Committee Room [nb 1][3][15]
29 October 1998 Carlos Menem President of Argentina [nb 1][3]
6 July 2000 John Howard Prime Minister of Australia Royal Gallery [3]
8 November 2001 Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein
King of Jordan
 Committee Room [3]
30 April 2002 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [nb 9][16]
16 March 2005 Carlo Azeglio Ciampi President of Italy
Queen's Robing Room
 [3]
26 October 2005
Harald V
 King of Norway [3]
9 November 2005 Hu Jintao General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
President of China 		[3]
8 March 2006 Lula da Silva President of Brazil [3]
14 March 2007 John Kufuor President of Ghana [3]
8 May 2007 Kofi Annan Former Secretary-General of the United Nations Royal Gallery [17]
15 May 2007 Bertie Ahern Taoiseach of Ireland [17]
26 March 2008 Nicolas Sarkozy President of France [18]
19 November 2008 Shimon Peres President of Israel Queen's Robing Room [3]
1 April 2009 Felipe Calderón President of Mexico [3]
17 September 2010 Benedict XVI
state visit
) 		Westminster Hall [19]
25 May 2011 Barack Obama President of the United States [20]
20 March 2012 Elizabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom [nb 10][1]
21 June 2012 Aung San Suu Kyi Burmese Opposition Leader [21]
1 November 2012 Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of Indonesia Queen's Robing Room [22]
29 November 2012 Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Emir of Kuwait
 [23]
20 March 2013 Joyce Banda President of Malawi River Room [nb 1][3]
13 June 2013 Stephen Harper Prime Minister of Canada Queen's Robing Room [24]
5 November 2013 Park Geun-hye President of South Korea [3][25]
27 February 2014 Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany Royal Gallery [3][26]
8 April 2014 Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland [27]
21 October 2014 Tony Tan Keng Yam President of Singapore Queen's Robing Room [3]
3 March 2015 Enrique Peña Nieto President of Mexico [28]
20 October 2015 Xi Jinping General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party
President of China 		Royal Gallery [29]
12 November 2015 Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India [30]
19 April 2016 Joko Widodo President of Indonesia Queen's Robing Room [31]
1 November 2016 Juan Manuel Santos Calderón President of Colombia [32]
12 July 2017
Felipe VI
 King of Spain Royal Gallery [33]
23 October 2018 Willem-Alexander King of the Netherlands [34]
8 March 2022 Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine Commons Chamber (by videolink) [35]
12 September 2022 Charles III King of the United Kingdom Westminster Hall [36]
22 November 2022 Cyril Ramaphosa President of South Africa Royal Gallery [37]
29 November 2022 Olena Zelenska First Lady of Ukraine Committee Room 14 [3]
8 February 2023 Volodymyr Zelenskyy President of Ukraine Westminster Hall [38]
21 November 2023 Yoon Suk Yeol President of South Korea Royal Gallery [39]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Members of both Houses were present at the meeting but this was not a formal presentation to both Houses.
  2. ^ The speech was to announce the Victory in Europe.
  3. ^ The speech was to announce the victory in the Second World War.
  4. ^ The speech was to announce the opening of the new Chamber of the House of Commons.
  5. ^ The speech was to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Simon de Montfort's Parliament.
  6. ^ The speech was the Queen's Silver Jubilee address to Parliament.
  7. ^ The speech was to commemorate the Tercentenary of the Revolution of 1688–89 and the Bill of Rights.
  8. ^ The speech was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe.
  9. ^ The speech was the Queen's Golden Jubilee address to Parliament.
  10. ^ The speech was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee address to Parliament.

References

  1. ^ a b "Diamond Jubilee: Queen rededicates herself to UK". BBC News. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  2. ^ "State Opening of Parliament". www.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap "Addresses to Members of both Houses of Parliament". House of Commons Library. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "House of Lords – Briefing – Westminster Hall" (PDF). House of Lords. June 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Cordial Visit". Time. 20 March 1950. Archived from the original on 14 January 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  6. ^ John McDonough. "The History of the Maces of the British and Canadian Parliaments". Canadian Parliamentary Review. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. ^ "A Quiet Little Dinner with Krushchev". Time. 7 May 1956. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  8. ^ "1960: Action This Day". The Churchill Centre. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  9. ^ "Unsmiling Comrade". Time. 17 February 1967. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  10. ^ "Silver Jubilee address to Parliament, 4 May 1977". The Royal Household. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. ^ "Address to Members of the British Parliament". The American Presidency Project. 8 June 1982. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  12. New York Times
    . 28 April 1986. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  13. ^ Cameron Duodo (2007). "Should Mandela statue be in UK's Parliament Square?". New African. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
  14. ^ "U.S., U.K reaffirm joint commitment to democracy – President Clinton – Remarks to the British Houses of Parliament, London, U.K., November 29, 1995". Dispatch Magazine. US Department of State. 4 December 1995. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  15. ^ Louise Jury (17 July 1996). "Dalai Lama urges British help for 'occupied' Tibet". The Independent. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Queen pledges to stay on throne". BBC News. 30 April 2002. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  17. ^ a b "Lord Speaker news: May 2007". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 11 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  18. ^ "Sarkozy: We are stronger together". BBC News. 26 March 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  19. ^ "Papal address in Westminster Hall". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  20. ^ "President Obama addresses MPs and Members of the Lords". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  21. ^ "San Suu Kyi addresses UK parliament". CNN. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  22. ^ "Indonesian President Yudhoyono addresses MPs and members of the Lords in Queen's Robing Room". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  23. ^ "Amir of the State of Kuwait addresses MPs and peers". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  24. ^ "Canadian PM Stephen Harper visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  25. ^ "Lord Speaker addresses President of Republic of Korea". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Angela Merkel visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  27. ^ "Irish President Michael D Higgins hails UK friendship". BBC News. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  28. ^ "President of the United Mexican States visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  29. ^ "President of China visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  30. ^ "Prime Minister of India visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Indonesian President visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 18 April 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  32. ^ "President of the Republic of Colombia visits UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  33. ^ "King of Spain visits UK Parliament - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  34. ^ "Lord Speaker thanks King of Netherlands for address to Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  35. ^ "Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky invokes Winston Churchill as he appeals to MPS". BBC News. 8 March 2022.
  36. ^ "What to expect when King Charles III addresses Commons and Lords". The Guardian. 11 September 2022.
  37. ^ "President of South Africa visits UK Parliament". UK Parliament. 17 November 2022.
  38. ^ "Ukraine's Zelensky makes plea for fighter jets in address to UK Parliament". BBC News. 8 February 2023.
  39. ^ "Royal red-carpet roll-out for South Korean visit". BBC News. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.

External links

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