King Charles III Invites Tinubu On State Visit To UK

President Bola Tinubu will undertake a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom (UK) on March 18, marking the first official state visit to the UK by a Nigerian leader in nearly four decades.

According to a statement released on Saturday by Buckingham Palace’s royal communications team, the visit is at the invitation of His Majesty King Charles III. President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

“This state visit underscores the enduring partnership between the United Kingdom and Nigeria, and further details of the programme will be announced in due course,” the palace statement noted.

The forthcoming trip will be the first by a Nigerian head of state since 1989, when former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida paid a similar visit. Previous state visits to the UK by Nigerian leaders were undertaken by General Yakubu Gowon in 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981.

King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, has visited Nigeria four times — in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018 reflecting the long-standing ties between both nations.

This will not be President Tinubu’s first meeting with King Charles. The two leaders first met in November 2023 ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

At the time, President Tinubu described their meeting as “a significant step in strengthening the partnership between both countries.”

The pair also met privately at Buckingham Palace in September 2024, where, according to Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, “both leaders discussed global and regional matters of shared priority, focusing on the urgent and complex challenge of climate change.”