President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to undertake a landmark two-day state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following a formal invitation from King Charles III.
The visit was announced on Sunday through the official X account of the British royal family, confirming that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the Nigerian president at Windsor Castle. President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
A statement from the palace said the Nigerian leader had accepted the King’s invitation to pay a state visit to the UK during the stated dates, with the royal couple hosting the engagements at Windsor Castle.
Reacting to the development, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the visit as a major diplomatic milestone, noting that it marks the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
Onanuga confirmed that President Tinubu and the First Lady would be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla between March 18 and 19, 2026.
The last time a Nigerian leader undertook a state visit to the United Kingdom was in 1989, when former military president Ibrahim Babangida was received by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
According to the BBC, state visits serve as an important tool of soft-power diplomacy, blending royal pageantry with high-level political discussions to deepen ties between nations.
President Tinubu and King Charles, both of whom assumed office in May 2023, have met several times. In November 2023, they held talks in Dubai ahead of the COP28 climate summit, with Tinubu describing the meeting as crucial to strengthening Nigeria–UK relations. The British monarch also hosted Tinubu for a private audience at Buckingham Palace in September 2024.
King Charles has long-standing personal connections with Nigeria and has often expressed his admiration for Nigerian Pidgin English and Afrobeats music. Before becoming king, he visited Nigeria four times—in 1990, 1999, 2006 and 2018—with Queen Camilla accompanying him during the 2018 visit.
In 2023, the King’s Trust International, formerly The Prince’s Trust, officially launched its Nigerian operations, introducing programmes focused on youth employment and entrepreneurship development.
