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: 3 December 2024

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)	15	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	26	16	2	49
*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Total (UK Monarchs & foreign dignitaries)		11	27	16	2	56

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 (Portuguese President Soares, 1993)		1
Head of State not on a State Visit	1 (Pope Benedict XVI, 2010)		1 (Argentinian President Menem, 1998)	2 (Nicaraguan President Ortega, 1989; Malawian President Joyce Banda, 2013)	4
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 / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 30 June - 4 July 2025

MPs will vote on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. Motions objecting to ratification of the UK–Mauritius Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago will be debated by Peers. MPs will debate the proscription of Palestine Action. Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces MPs’ oral questions and the Defence Secretary John Healey MP faces select committee scrutiny. MPs will formally approve the continued existence of the armed forces for the next 12 months, as required annually. Consideration of the Bill to create an Armed Forces Commissioner may also be completed this week. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill returns to the Lords for Report Stage while Peers will also scrutinise the Renters’ Rights and the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

News / What Westminster gets wrong about the NHS - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 98

We are joined this week by two guests who bring invaluable insight into the intersection of health policy and parliamentary life. Dr. Sarah Wollaston and Steve Brine – both former MPs, health policy experts, and co-hosts of the podcast Prevention is the New Cure – share their experiences of how the House of Commons handles health and social care. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / Assisted dying bill: Special series #14 - MPs back assisted dying bill in historic vote - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 97

This week, we reflect on a landmark moment in UK parliamentary history: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons, moving one step closer to legalising assisted dying in England and Wales. We are joined once again by former House of Commons Clerk Paul Evans to examine how this Private Member’s Bill navigated the political and procedural obstacles in its path and to explore what lies ahead in the House of Lords. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

Guides / How does Parliament approve Government spending? A procedural guide to the Estimates process

In order to incur expenditure the Government needs to obtain approval from Parliament for its departmental spending plans. The annual Estimates cycle is the means by which the House of Commons controls the Government’s plans for the spending of money raised through taxation.

Blog / What role does Parliament play in the Spending Review?

The UK Spending Review outlines how Government funds will be allocated over several years. Unlike the Budget, which raises revenue, the Review decides how it is spent. But how is it approved? What role does Parliament play if it doesn’t vote on the Review itself? This blog explores how the Spending Review works, how it differs from the Budget, and how Parliament holds the Government to account through the Estimates process.