King Charles III will address a joint meeting of Congress on April 28 as part of his state visit to Washington.
The address and visit mark the enduring relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom as America celebrates is 250th anniversary of independence from Britain this year.
“As we celebrate this historic milestone and recommit ourselves to the principles upon which our nation was founded, we also recognize that the American experiment endures in no small part because of the British tradition from which it sprang,” the top four congressional leaders said in a letter inviting Charles to give the address.
They said the event will provide him with “a unique opportunity to share your vision for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, addressed the British Parliament in January, the first U.S. speaker to do so.
Speaker of the British House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle invited Mr. Johnson to give the address in honor of the nations’ alliance as America celebrates its semiquincentennial.
Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will visit the U.S. from April 27 through April 30. The trip will include a state dinner at the White House on April 28.
The trip will be Charles’ first state visit to the U.S. as king, though he visited 19 times when he was the prince of Wales. It will be the first state visit by a British monarch since 2007 when Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made her fourth trip to the U.S.
Mr. Trump made a state visit to Britain in September.
Charles’ visit comes as Mr. Trump’s relationship with Britain and other NATO allies strains over their refusal to back the U.S.-led war against Iran. While the U.K. maintains it is not a party to the conflict, the government is allowing U.S. heavy bombers to stage from British military airfields.
Mr. Trump said in an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph, published Wednesday, that he is considering pulling out of NATO because the alliance declined to help the U.S. open the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane that has been blocked by Iran, sending gas prices soaring.
“I was never swayed by NATO, I always knew they were a paper tiger,” the president said.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the same day the interview was published that Britain would bring together about 35 countries this week to come up with a plan to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
• Jeff Mordock and Mike Glenn contributed to this report.
