Tinubu to make two-day state visit to UK in March
By Jeffrey Agbo
President Bola Tinubu has accepted an invitation from King Charles III to make a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026.
The Nigerian leader will be formally hosted by the King and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, the British royal family announced in a post on X Sunday.
According to the post, Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife and First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, during the visit.
The post read, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a state visit to the United Kingdom from Wednesday, 18th March to Thursday, 19th March 2026. The King and Queen will host the state visit at Windsor Castle.”
Reacting to the announcement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, noted that it would be the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
He wrote, “First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18th March to 19th March 2026.”
The last Nigerian leader state visit to the UK was in 1989, when former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II for four days.
The British Broadcasting Corporation has described state visits as a tool of soft-power diplomacy, combining royal ceremony and hospitality to strengthen ties with key international partners.
Tinubu and King Charles, who both assumed office in May 2023, have met on several occasions.
In November 2023, the Nigerian leader met the monarch in Dubai ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), describing the engagement as an important step toward deepening bilateral relations.
In September 2024, King Charles also received Tinubu at Buckingham Palace during a private meeting.
The British monarch has longstanding personal ties with Nigeria and has openly expressed his fondness for Pidgin English and Afrobeats music.
Before ascending the throne, he visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales—in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018. Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied him on the 2018 visit.
In 2023, the King’s Trust International, formerly known as the Prince’s Trust, officially launched operations in Nigeria, unveiling initiatives aimed at addressing youth unemployment in the country.
