President Bola Tinubu will embark on a historic two-day state visit to the United Kingdom from March 18 to 19, 2026, following an invitation from King Charles III.

The visit, announced on Sunday via the official X handle of the British royal family, confirms that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host the Nigerian leader at Windsor Castle.

President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife and First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

The statement read: “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.”Reacting to the announcement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the visit as a significant diplomatic milestone, noting that it would 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 undertake a state visit to the United Kingdom was in 1989, when former military president Ibrahim Babangida was hosted for four days by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), state visits are a vital instrument of soft-power diplomacy, combining royal ceremony with high-level political engagement to strengthen bilateral relations with strategic partners.

President Tinubu and King Charles, both of whom assumed office in May 2023, have met on several occasions. In November 2023, Tinubu met the British monarch in Dubai ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), describing the engagement as a key step toward deepening Nigeria–UK relations.

In September 2024, King Charles also received Tinubu at Buckingham Palace during a private audience.The British monarch maintains longstanding personal ties with Nigeria and has frequently expressed his fondness for Nigerian Pidgin English and Afrobeats music.

Before ascending the throne, he visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales—in 1990, 1999, 2006 and 2018. Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied him during the 2018 visit.

In 2023, the King’s Trust International—formerly known as The Prince’s Trust—officially launched operations in Nigeria, rolling out initiatives aimed at tackling youth unemployment and supporting entrepreneurship across the country.