King Charles’ first state visit of 2026 confirmed by Buckingham Palace

The monarch will host a major world leader for a state visit at Windsor Castle in just a few weeks, marking a historic milestone for the King and a huge step in relations between the countries

King Charles and Queen Camilla have confirmed their first state visit of 2026, and it will be the first state visit for almost 40 years for the country.

In just weeks, the monarch will host the president of Nigeria for a state visit at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace has announced. It will be the first UK state visit by a Nigerian president in 37 years and the first state visit received by the King of the new year.

The Royal Family confirmed the visit in a statement posted on its official X account on Sunday, writing: “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.”

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Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, also confirmed the development, describing it as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations. London and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, concluded a strategic partnership in November 2024 to strengthen their cooperation on economic, immigration, and security matters.

The last time a Nigerian head of state visited the UK was in 1989, when then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Two previous state visits also took place in 1981 and 1973. When King Charles was the Prince of Wales, he visited Nigeria four times – in 1990, 1999, 2006 and 2018. Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, joined him on the trip in 2018.

Charles and Mr Tinubu have a good relationship, with the King receiving the Nigerian president at Buckingham Palace in September 2024. The two men bonded when they both attended a bilateral meeting in a hotel in Dubai, as they attended the COP28 summit in 2023.

The full itinerary for the state visit has yet to be announced, but Buckingham Palace said more details will be revealed in due course. It is likely the Prince and Princess of Wales will play a key part in the upcoming state visit, as they did in all the state visits of 2025.

In keeping with state visit tradition, the Nigerian president will likely be feted with a ceremonial welcome, including an inspection of the guards, and a lavish state banquet in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. The last state visit in the UK was in December, when the King and the Queen welcomed the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Elke Büdenbender.

Charles undertook an unprecedented three visits last year, welcoming French president Emmanuel Macron in July, US president Donald Trump in September, and the German president in December.