President Bola Tinubu will embark on a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III.
The visit was confirmed on Sunday through a statement shared on the official X handle of the British royal family, which said the Nigerian President would be formally received by the King and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.
Tinubu will be accompanied on the visit by his wife and First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, according to the announcement.
Reacting to the development, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the trip as historic, noting that it would be the first state visit by a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years.
He said the last such visit took place in 1989 when former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
State visits are regarded by British authorities as key instruments of soft-power diplomacy, blending royal ceremony with high-level engagement to strengthen relations with strategic partners.
Tinubu and King Charles, who both assumed office in May 2023, have met several times since then. In November 2023, the President met the monarch in Dubai on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit, while another meeting took place at Buckingham Palace in September 2024.
King Charles has longstanding ties with Nigeria, having visited the country four times before becoming monarch, and has often spoken of his interest in Nigerian culture, including Pidgin English and Afrobeats.
In 2023, the King’s Trust International expanded its operations to Nigeria, launching programmes aimed at tackling youth unemployment and promoting enterprise development.