King Charles III to deliver address to U.S. Congress in late April

Body

King Charles III will deliver an address to a joint meeting of U.S. lawmakers during a visit to Washington in late April, congressional leaders announced, calling it a rare chance for the two countries to align publicly as the relationship faces new strains.

The joint address will mark the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring independence from Britain, according to the congressional leaders’ announcement. They said the speech will be the first by a British monarch to be delivered to a joint meeting of U.S. lawmakers in more than three decades, the announcement said.

In a letter to Charles, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the address would allow Charles to share his vision for the future of the “special relationship” and reaffirm the alliance at what they described as a pivotal moment. In the letter, they said: “The American experiment endures in no small part because of the British tradition from which it sprang,” and added that “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.”

The speech also comes as U.S.-UK ties face friction tied to foreign policy. The announcement said President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach has raised questions about the U.S. commitment to European allies, and it said Britain has declined to support U.S. involvement in the war in Iran.

In Britain, some members of Parliament have called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to cancel the state visit by Charles in retaliation after Trump criticized them for declining to support the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Starmer decided to proceed with the state visit, which some in the British political establishment have said could ease tensions linked to the war.

The announcement also put the Charles speech in historical context of monarchs’ high-profile diplomacy. The pomp and circumstance of British royal state visits have been used to bolster relations with countries around the world, the announcement said, noting that Queen Elizabeth II was the last British monarch to deliver a joint address to Congress, in 1991.

Alongside the alliance-focused message, congressional lawmakers are also looking to use the occasion to raise scrutiny of the Jeffrey Epstein case. In Britain, the announcement said there has been intense scrutiny of Charles’ ties to powerful figures in the British government, and it said that last year Charles stripped his former brother Prince Andrew of royal titles and evicted him from his royal residence after weeks of pressure tied to Andrew’s relationship with Epstein.

In the U.S., Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna wrote to Charles asking for a private meeting with survivors of Epstein’s and Ghislaine Maxwell’s abuse. Khanna’s letter requested that Charles meet privately with survivors “so they may speak to you directly about the ways powerful individuals and institutions failed them,” the announcement said, adding that “Survivors want this meeting.”