President Bola Tinubu is set to make a landmark two-day state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III.
The British royal family confirmed on Sunday via their official X account that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will welcome the Nigerian leader at Windsor Castle.
President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
“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, 18 March to Thursday, 19 March 2026. The King and Queen will host the state visit at Windsor Castle,” the statement read.
Reacting to the announcement, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, called the visit a major diplomatic achievement, highlighting that it will be the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
“First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu will be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18 to 19 March 2026,” Onanuga said.
The last Nigerian leader to carry out a state visit to the UK was former military president Ibrahim Babangida in 1989, when he was hosted for four days by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) notes that state visits serve as an important tool of soft-power diplomacy, combining royal ceremonies with high-level political meetings to strengthen ties with key partners.
President Tinubu and King Charles, both sworn into office in May 2023, have met several times. In November 2023, Tinubu met the British monarch in Dubai ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), describing the meeting as a key step in boosting Nigeria–UK relations.
In September 2024, King Charles also held a private audience with Tinubu at Buckingham Palace.
The British monarch has long-standing personal ties with Nigeria and has often expressed his appreciation for Nigerian Pidgin English and Afrobeats music.
Before becoming king, he visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales—in 1990, 1999, 2006, and 2018—with Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, joining him in 2018.
In 2023, the King’s Trust International, formerly The Prince’s Trust, officially launched in Nigeria, introducing programs to address youth unemployment and support entrepreneurship nationwide.
