Foreign leaders have addressed joint meetings of Congress more than 120 times since 1874, when King David Kalakaua of Hawaii began the tradition. Yet only a small number of those speakers have been monarchs. On Tuesday, King Charles the Third became just the 11th reigning king or queen to address lawmakers, and the first since King Abdullah the Second of Jordan in 2007.

Charles follows in the footsteps of his mother, Queen Elizabeth the Second, who addressed Congress in 1991. Speaking after the Persian Gulf War and during the decline of the Iron Curtain, she praised the close partnership between Europe and the United States and urged cooperation over domination. She thanked the United States for its loyalty while cautioning against overreliance on military force, and lightened the moment with a joke about her height and a tall lectern.

Her visit was not without controversy. Some lawmakers boycotted her speech in protest of Britain's policies in Northern Ireland and its stance on sanctions against South Africa during the final years of apartheid. Charles's visit also comes at a sensitive moment, as Britain has declined to join the latest American military action in the Middle East, creating strain with President Donald Trump, though no boycott is expected.