Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu will undertake an official state visit to the United Kingdom on March 18-19, 2025, marking the first such diplomatic engagement by a Nigerian head of state in nearly four decades. President Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu will be formally hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, with full itinerary details to be released subsequently.
This visit represents a significant milestone in UK-Nigeria relations, as the last state visit by a Nigerian leader occurred in 1989. State visits typically feature ceremonial traditions including an official royal reception, carriage procession, and elaborate state banquet, symbolizing the highest level of diplomatic recognition.
The upcoming engagement continues a longstanding relationship between the British monarchy and Nigeria, a Commonwealth member nation. King Charles has maintained consistent engagement with Nigeria, having visited four times between 1990 and 2018 during his tenure as Prince of Wales. Most recently, he received President Tinubu at Buckingham Palace in September 2024, establishing precedent for their upcoming Windsor Castle meeting.
The visit places Nigeria among select nations honored with state visits during King Charles’s reign, following similar ceremonies for world leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the past year.