Photos show Queen Elizabeth’s 1976 visit to the U.S. Capitol

(DC BUREAU) – King Charles III will become the second British monarch to address a joint session of Congress next week — following his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who did so in 1991. 

The visit would highlight “one of the most consequential partnerships in modern history,” according to a letter from Congressional leaders to King Charles III. 

“We also recognize that the American experiment endures in no small part because of the British tradition from which it sprang,” that letter said. 

Historians recognize the Magna Carta — an agreement from 1215 between King John and people who rebelled — as a foundational document that inspired the United States’ Declaration of Independence. 

For the 200th anniversary of the colonies declaring independence, Queen Elizabeth II visited the U.S. Capitol. The U.K. sent the original Magna Carta in a custom carrying case, meant to symbolize the relationship between the two countries. 

“The concept was to create something practical, to literally protect and house the document. But also to provide something lasting,” said Dr. Michele Cohen, curator for the Architect of the Capitol. 

The U.S. displayed the British gift under the Capitol Rotunda, accompanied by the Queen’s guards. Queen Elizabeth II visited the rotunda to look at the gift. She spoke in Statuary Hall, the old House chamber. 

After the anniversary festivities finished, the U.K. took back the original Magna Carta and replaced it with a gold replica. The carrying case, the stand and the replica are on display in the Capitol Crypt, one floor below the rotunda. 

“This is probably one of our most unique objects,” Dr. Cohen said. 

The display and artwork symbolize the unique relationship between the U.S. and the U.K., Dr. Cohen said. 

The case is surrounded by a rock found in both Minnesota and Scotland, she said. It includes diamonds representing each of the 50 states, the Tudor Rose of England, the shamrock for Ireland, the daffodil of Wales and Thistles for Scotland. 

“It’s our shared roots really going back to the Magna Carta,” Dr. Cohen said. 

Those roots are memorialized on the carrying case. It reads “Magna Carta 1215 the Great Charter of the King of England, the foundation of the liberties of Englishmen, from which stem the liberties of the people of the United States and of the United Kingdom.” 

The relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. wasn’t always this strong. After the U.S. gained independence from Great Britain, British troops attacked during the War of 1812. They set fire to the U.S. Capitol in 1814. 

King George VI became the first reigning monarch to visit the U.S. Capitol in 1939, according to the National Archives. 

His daughter, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Capitol in 1976 and 1991. 

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