British monarch returns to Capitol Hill as US-UK tensions simmer

WASHINGTON (AP) — King Charles III will deliver an address to Congress during his visit to Washington in late April. Charles will become the first British monarch to give a speech to a joint meeting of U.S. lawmakers in more than three decades. The joint address was announced by congressional leaders on Wednesday (April 1, 2026). The lawmakers say the address is a part of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaring independence from Britain. The speech also comes at a time of friction between the two nations, which have since become close allies. Queen Elizabeth II was the last British monarch to deliver a joint address to Congress, in 1991.