Nigerian President Meets Royals On ‘historic’ Uk State Visit

WINDSOR: King Charles III ceremonially welcomed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in the first state visit by the leader of Africa’s most populous nation in nearly four decades.

Tinubu has made less formal visits to Britain several times in his tenure and the two countries remain major partners in trade, aid and defence. London is also home to a huge Nigerian diaspora.

King Charles and Queen Camilla greeted the president and his wife in Windsor, west of London, on a sunny afternoon as artillery fired salutes.

Nigerian flags and Union Jacks fluttered on poles along Windsor’s main street.

The Nigerian president and his wife earlier chatted with heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine at a hotel in the town.

In a nod to the ties between the two countries, Catherine was dressed in a grey coat dress designed by young British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, whose show at last month’s London Fashion Week Charles attended.

The party then rode in carriages to the historic Windsor Castle, followed by cavalry in red and gold livery.

At the castle entrance, Charles and Tinubu inspected a guard of honour in traditional bearskin hats.

Later the king and queen showed the president and first lady items from the Royal Collection reflecting the ties with Britain as the colonial power in charge of Nigeria until 1960.

These included a Yoruba beaded throne presented to Queen Elizabeth II during an official visit in 1965.

They also viewed photographs of a Yoruba woman known as Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who became a protegee of Queen Victoria after being captured as a slave and taken to Britain by a naval captain.

Queen Victoria became godmother to her daughter and paid for her schooling.

On Wednesday evening, Charles and Tinubu were set to give speeches at a lavish state banquet. But Tinubu, a Muslim who is marking Ramadan, was earlier to break his fast privately in his Windsor hotel.

‘Renewed chapter’

Nigeria’s presidency said the visit signalled a “renewed chapter” and reflected a shared commitment to “advancing trade and strengthening diplomatic ties”.

Calling the visit “historic”, London announced Nigerian companies including banks are expanding operations and creating hundreds of jobs in Britain, strengthening it as a global hub for African business.

Issues ranging from major Nigerian port renovations backed by Britain as well as trade, which reached £8.1 billion in the year to September 2025, an 11.4% year-on-year increase.

The visit comes after suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 people in northeastern Nigeria on Monday evening.

The west African nation has been roiled by a jihadist insurgency since 2009, which US President Donald Trump has claimed amounts to a “genocide” of Christians — sparking a diplomatic crisis between Washington and Abuja, which denies the allegations.

Tinubu responded by ordering security chiefs to move to the northeastern African city of Maiduguri, where the attacks happened, to “take charge of the situation”.

On Thursday, Tinubu is expected to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as members of the Nigerian community abroad, according to the official schedule.

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Christian pastor, is set to preach at London’s Lambeth Palace — the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury — on Thursday and meet representatives of the Church of England.

Missing from the official schedule is the traditional meeting between the visiting head of state and the British opposition.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who is of Nigerian descent, has repeatedly publicly criticised the country she was raised in over corruption and violence.

The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, although Tinubu was received by Charles in September 2024.

Before the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022, Charles also visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales.