{"database": "openregs", "table": "crs_reports", "rows": [["IN12682", "Kings and Queens Addressing Joint Meetings of Congress", "2026-04-23T04:00:00Z", "2026-04-25T13:52:50Z", "Active", "Posts", "Jacob R. Straus", null, "On April 1, 2026, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries jointly invited King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to address a joint meeting of Congress. King Charles\u2019s address is scheduled to occur on April 28, 2026. King Charles would be the 11th king or queen to address a joint meeting of Congress. \nInvitation Process\nWhen a foreign leader formally visits the United States, he or she is sometimes invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. The decision to invite a foreign leader to address Congress has historically been made by the congressional leadership, often in consultation and conjunction with the executive branch. No formal procedure on when or how to issue invitations is codified in law or in House or Senate rules. Not all foreign leaders who visit the United States are invited to address Congress. For more information on foreign leaders who have addressed Congress, see CRS In Focus IF10211, Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress, by Jacob R. Straus.\nPast Kings and Queens Who Have Addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress\nTo date, 10 individuals holding the title of king or queen have addressed a joint meeting of Congress. The first address by a king or queen occurred on December 18, 1874, when King Kalakaua, from the Kingdom of Hawaii, addressed Congress. The most recent, prior to King Charles III\u2019s scheduled address, occurred when King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein, of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, addressed a joint meeting of Congress on March 7, 2007. Table 1 lists the monarchs that have addressed a joint meeting of Congress.\nTable 1. Addresses by Kings and Queens to a Joint Meeting of Congress\nDate\nMonarch\nCountry\n\nDecember 18, 1874\nKing Kalakauaa\nKingdom of Hawaii\n\nApril 3, 1952\nQueen Juliana\nKingdom of the Netherlands\n\nMay 12, 1959\nKing Baudouin\nKingdom of Belgium\n\nApril 28, 1960\nKing Mahendra\nKingdom of Nepal\n\nJune 29, 1960\nKing Bhumibol Adulyadej\nKingdom of Thailand\n\nJune 2, 1976\nKing Juan Carlos I\nKingdom of Spain\n\nApril 21, 1982\nQueen Beatrix\nKingdom of the Netherlands\n\nMay 16, 1991\nQueen Elizabeth II\nUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland\n\nJuly 26, 1994\nKing Hussein Ib\nHashemite Kingdom of Jordan\n\nMarch 7, 2007\nKing Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein\nHashemite Kingdom of Jordan\n\nSource: Historian of the House of Representatives, \u201cJoint Meeting & Joint Session Addresses Before Congress by Foreign Leaders & Dignitaries,\u201d http://history.house.gov/Institution/Foreign-Leaders/Joint-Sessions. \nNotes: \nKing Kalakaua was unable to deliver his speech \u201cbecause of a severe cold and hoarseness.\u201d The speech was \u201cread by former Representative Elisha Hunt Allen, then serving as Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Hawaiian Islands\u201d on King Kalakaua\u2019s behalf. See U.S. Congress, \u201cJoint Sessions and Meetings, Address to the Senate or the House, and Inaugurations,\u201d fn. 13, https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/joint_sessions.pdf.\nThe address by King Hussein I was a joint address with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. See \u201cJoint Meeting of the House and Senate to Hear Addresses by His Majesty King Hussein I of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and His Excellency Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel,\u201d Congressional Record, vol. 140, part 12 (July 26, 1994), pp. 17891-17895, https://www.congress.gov/103/crecb/1994/07/26/GPO-CRECB-1994-pt12-9-1.pdf.  \nMost joint meetings of Congress to hear addresses by foreign leaders, including kings and queens, have been held in the Hall of the House. For example, Figure 1 shows King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand addressing a joint meeting of Congress on June 29, 1960.\nFigure 1. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Addressing a Joint Meeting of Congress\n/\nSource: Library of Congress, \u201cBhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand speaking before a joint session of the United States Congress, Washington, D.C.,\u201d Marion S. Trikosko, June 29, 1960, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2023631222. \nFor more information on foreign leaders addressing Congress, see CRS In Focus IF10211, Foreign Leaders Addressing Congress, by Jacob R. Straus. 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