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

Last updated

The Palace of Westminster, meeting place of the House of Commons and the House of Lords Palace of Westminster, London - Feb 2007.jpg
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 President Ronald Reagan addressing British Parliament in London, England.jpg
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.

Contents

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

DateVisitorPositionLocationRef
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 Pope (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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace of Westminster</span> Meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative chambers which occupy the building. The building was originally constructed in the eleventh century as a royal palace, and Westminster Hall survives from this era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speech from the throne</span> Monarchs speech outlining governmental agenda and opening the legislative session

A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or their representative, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, or in some cases closed. The address sets forth the government's priorities for its legislative agenda, for which the cooperation of the legislature is sought. The speech is often accompanied by formal ceremony. It is often held annually, although in some places it may occur more or less frequently, whenever a new session of the legislature is opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster Hall</span>

Westminster Hall is a large medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II, at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functions over the years, including being used for judicial purposes from the twelfth to the nineteenth centuries. When a joint address is given to the two chambers of the UK Parliament, the House of Commons and House of Lords, the hall is typically the venue. It was also used to host coronation banquets until the nineteenth century, and since the twentieth century has been the usual venue for the lyings in state of state and ceremonial funerals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Opening of Parliament</span> Ceremonial event marking the beginning of a session of the UK Parliament

The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It includes a speech from the throne known as the King's Speech. The event takes place in the House of Lords chamber on the first day of a new session, which is traditionally in November, but can occur at any time of year depending on the timing of General Elections and parliamentary session start dates. It takes place in front of a formal gathering of both Houses of Parliament. The monarch, wearing the Imperial State Crown, reads a speech that has been prepared by his or her government outlining its plans for that parliamentary year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Skinner</span> British Labour politician (born 1932)

Dennis Edward Skinner is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolsover for 49 years, from 1970 to 2019. A member of the Labour Party, he is known for his left-wing views and republican sentiments. Before entering Parliament, he worked for more than 20 years as a miner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bellingham, Baron Bellingham</span> British politician

Henry Campbell Bellingham, Baron Bellingham is a British Conservative politician who sits in the House of Lords and former barrister. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Norfolk in 1983. He lost his seat in 1997, but regained it in 2001 and retained it until standing down in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Hoyle</span> Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom since 2019 (born 1957)

Sir Lindsay Harvey Hoyle is a British politician who has served as Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Chorley since 1997. Before his election as Speaker, he was a member of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss</span> English judge (born 1933)

Ann Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, GBE, PC, is a retired English judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom until 2004, when Baroness Hale was appointed to the House of Lords. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquests into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker.

A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth II</span> Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states over the course of her lifetime and remained the monarch of 15 realms by the time of her death. Her reign of over 70 years is the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female head of state in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy of Barbados</span> Constitutional monarchy as a system of government in Barbados from 1966 to 2021

The monarchy of Barbados was a system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign and head of state of Barbados from 1966 to 2021. Barbados shared the sovereign with the other Commonwealth realms, with the country's monarchy being separate and legally distinct. The monarch's operational and ceremonial duties were mostly delegated to her representative, the governor-general of Barbados.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II</span> 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II

The year 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II being the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. The only diamond jubilee celebration for any of Elizabeth's predecessors was in 1897, for Queen Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</span> President of Ukraine since 2019

Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician who has been serving as the sixth president of Ukraine since 2019. He was formerly a comedian and actor.

Brexit was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020. As of 2020, the UK is the only sovereign country to have left the EU. Britain's membership of the EU began on 1 January 1973, when it entered the European Communities (EC), the predecessor to the EU. Following this, Eurosceptic groups formed in the UK, opposing aspects of both the EC and the EU. In January 2013, Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a speech at Bloomberg London, in which he called for reform of the EU and promised an in–out referendum on the UK's membership if the Conservative Party won a majority at the 2015 general election. The Conservatives won 330 seats at the election, giving Cameron a majority of 12, and a bill to hold a referendum was introduced to Parliament that month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special address by the British monarch</span> Special address made by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms

Special addresses by the monarch of United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, outside the annual Royal Christmas Message and the Commonwealth Day Message, only take place at times of significant national or royal events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II</span> 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II

The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any monarch in British history celebrated a platinum jubilee, as is the case in the histories of the other Commonwealth realms.

Royal tours of Jamaica by the Jamaican Royal Family have been taking place since the 20th century. Elizabeth II, Queen of Jamaica, visited the island six times; in 1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, and 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speeches by Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span>

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a number of speeches in multiple formats, including on social media and to foreign legislatures. The speeches have received significant attention, with a number of commentators citing a positive effect on Ukrainian morale and on international support for Ukrainian resistance to the invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 visit by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Kingdom</span> Meeting of leaders of Ukraine and the United Kingdom

On 8 February 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visited the United Kingdom. During his trip, Zelenskyy met Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He also addressed Members of Parliament from Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament and had an audience with King Charles III. It was Zelenskyy's second trip outside Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after his December 2022 visit to the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 "Addresses to Members of both Houses of Parliament". House of Commons Library. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "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. ↑ "Spanish King Addresses British Parliament". 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. 1 2 "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.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.