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

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, 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 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 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike most addresses by foreign dignitaries before a parliament, which are typically held in the parliament's plenary chamber (in the case of a bicameral parliament, it would be the plenary chamber used for joint sittings), addresses before the UK Parliament are always held elsewhere in the Palace of Westminster, as the invited foreign dignitary is not a member of the UK Parliament, and is therefore not permitted to speak.

People who have addressed both houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

DateVisitorPositionLocationRefGeorge VKing of the United KingdomWestminster HallPresident of FrancePrime Minister of South Africa Royal GalleryPrime Minister of CanadaGeorge VIKing of the United KingdomPresident of FranceGeorge VIKing of the United KingdomWestminster HallHaile Selassie IEmperor of Ethiopia Royal GalleryPremier of the Soviet UnionFirst Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionPresident of FranceWestminster HallElizabeth IIQueen of the United Kingdom Royal GallerySecretary-General of the United NationsPremier of the Soviet UnionPresident of ItalyChancellor of West GermanyPresident of FranceElizabeth IIQueen of the United KingdomWestminster HallPresident of the United StatesRoyal GalleryPresident of FranceSecretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionForeign delegate of the Soviet UnionGrand Committee RoomPrime Minister of IsraelJuan Carlos IKing of Spain Royal GalleryPresident of West GermanyElizabeth IIQueen of the United KingdomWestminster HallPresident of NicaraguaCommittee Room 14President of Italy Royal GalleryPresident of RussiaPresident of PortugalGrand Committee RoomPresident of the African National CongressFormer General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet UnionElizabeth IIQueen of the United KingdomWestminster HallPresident of the United StatesRoyal GalleryPresident of FrancePresident of South AfricaWestminster HallTenzin GyatsoDalai LamaGrand Committee RoomPresident of ArgentinaPrime Minister of Australia Royal GalleryAbdullah II ibn al-HusseinKing of JordanCommittee RoomElizabeth IIQueen of the United KingdomWestminster HallPresident of ItalyQueen's Robing RoomHarald VKing of NorwayHu JintaoGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyPresident of ChinaLula da SilvaPresident of BrazilPresident of GhanaFormer Secretary-General of the United Nations Royal GalleryTaoiseach of IrelandPresident of FrancePresident of IsraelQueen's Robing RoomPresident of MexicoPresident of IndiaJacob ZumaPresident of South AfricaBenedict XVIPope (state visit)Westminster HallHamad bin Khalifa Al ThaniEmir of QatarQueen's Robing RoomPresident of the United StatesWestminster HallElizabeth IIQueen of the United KingdomBurmese Opposition LeaderPresident of IndonesiaQueen's Robing RoomSabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-SabahEmir of KuwaitPresident of MalawiRiver RoomPrime Minister of CanadaQueen's Robing RoomPark Geun-hyePresident of South KoreaChancellor of Germany Royal GalleryPresident of IrelandPresident of SingaporeQueen's Robing RoomPresident of MexicoXi JinpingGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyPresident of China Royal GalleryPrime Minister of IndiaPresident of IndonesiaQueen's Robing RoomPresident of ColombiaFelipe VIKing of Spain Royal GalleryWillem-AlexanderKing of the NetherlandsPresident of Ukraine Commons Chamber (by videolink)Charles IIIKing of the United Kingdom Westminster HallPresident of South Africa Royal GalleryFirst Lady of UkraineCommittee Room 14President of Ukraine Westminster HallYoon Suk YeolPresident of South KoreaRoyal Gallery Tamim bin Hamad Al ThaniEmir of QatarKing's Robing RoomEmmanuel MacronPresident of FranceRoyal Gallery4 December 2025Frank-Walter SteinmeierPresident of Germany20 January 2026Mike JohnsonSpeaker of the United States House of RepresentativesCommittee Room 1417 March 2026President of Ukraine

See also

Parliament of the United Kingdom Joint address (Canada) Joint meetings of the Parliament of Australia Joint session of the Parliament of India Joint session of the Congress of the Philippines Joint session of the United States Congress Congress of the French Parliament List of joint sessions of the United States Congress List of addresses to the Oireachtas

Notes

References

External links United Kingdom Parliament