By Aina Shehu
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu in the United Kingdom, marking Nigeria’s first State Visit to Britain in 37 years, Buckingham Palace has announced.
President Tinubu and his wife accepted the monarch’s invitation to be royal guests at Windsor Castle from March 18 to March 19, 2026. State visits are regarded as a key instrument of soft-power diplomacy, using royal ceremony and hospitality to strengthen ties with strategic international partners.
The last Nigerian State Visit to the UK occurred in 1989, when former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, visited Queen Elizabeth II for a four-day engagement.
Although this will be President Tinubu’s first official State Visit to the UK, he has previously met King Charles III since assuming office after Nigeria’s 2023 election. In September 2024, the President and First Lady were received at Buckingham Palace and later held a bilateral meeting with the monarch during the COP28 summit in Dubai.
Unlike routine diplomatic meetings, State Visits feature ceremonial pageantry — often including carriage processions, official receptions, and a State Banquet — highlighting the importance of relations between both nations.
The visit comes amid strengthening diplomatic and economic relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded £8 billion in the year to October, positioning Nigeria as one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa. In 2024, both countries also signed a new trade and investment partnership aimed at expanding business and economic cooperation.
While the detailed agenda for the March visit has not yet been disclosed, State Visits typically coincide with high-level political discussions and strategic engagements.
King Charles III maintains longstanding ties with Nigeria, a Commonwealth nation. He has previously expressed admiration for Nigerian culture, including Pidgin English and Afrobeats music. Before ascending the throne, he visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales — in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018 — with Queen Camilla accompanying him on the most recent visit.
In 2023, the King’s Trust International officially launched operations in Nigeria, introducing initiatives focused on tackling youth unemployment and supporting young entrepreneurs.