Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu will travel to the United Kingdom on March 18 and 19 for a state visit, Buckingham Palace said Sunday. The palace said King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the Tinubus at Windsor Castle, as Britain prepares the ceremonial programme that typically accompanies state visits.
Buckingham Palace said the trip will mark the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the U.K. in almost four decades. The palace did not provide further details of the programme yet, saying full information is expected at a later date.
In announcing the visit dates, Buckingham Palace also highlighted the history of Nigeria-U.K. ties at the level of royal hosting. It said Charles visited Nigeria, a Commonwealth country, four times from 1990 to 2018 before he became king.
The palace said Charles previously received Tinubu at Buckingham Palace in September 2024. It also said the most recent state visits by a Nigerian leader before the scheduled March trip took place in 1973, 1981 and 1989.
A state visit, Buckingham Palace said, usually begins with an official reception hosted by the king, and it is followed by a carriage procession and a state banquet. The palace said details of the Tinubu visit are expected to be released later.
The March announcement came as Charles is hosting other heads of state at Buckingham Palace in the same period, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Buckingham Palace said.