On Wednesday evening, March 18, the Royal Family hosted Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to a State Banquet.
The banquet held at St. George Hall in Windsor Castle.
The table in St. George’s Hall was decorated with handpicked seasonal flowers and foliage from the gardens at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park.
For the evening at Windsor Castle, Bola and Remi Tinubu were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, among other senior working members of the British royal family.
King Charles gave a speech in which he mentioned that he hosted young Nigerians in the UK a week earlier to a night of jollof and tea. He then joked that he was made to know that “the jollof is only the best; Nigerian of course” and Bola Tinubu laughed and clapped at the compliment.
Bola Tinubu and Remi Tinubu are in the UK on a two-day trip, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
It is the first time since 1989, the UK is hosting a State Visit from a Nigerian leader. Notably, this is the also the first time since 1928 that the British royal family has welcomed a Muslim head of state during Ramadan, and the first Nigerian leader to be hosted by the British monarch at Windsor Castle.
Previous Nigerian state visits have taken place in 1973, 1981, and 1989. The most recent members of the British royal family to visit Nigeria were Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh in November 2025 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who undertook a private trip to the country in May 2024.
See video from the state banquet below.
