President Bola Tinubu is set to embark on a historic State Visit to the United Kingdom later this month, following an invitation from King Charles III.

The British Royal Family confirmed the visit in a statement posted on its official X account on Sunday.

“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,” the Royal Family stated.

Presidential aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, also confirmed the development, describing it as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations.

“First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18 March to 19 March 2026,” he wrote on X.

The visit is significant as it marks the first time a Nigerian leader will be received in the United Kingdom with full state honours since 1989, when the then military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Gen. Babangida’s four-day visit included a stay at a royal residence and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Only two other Nigerian leaders have undertaken formal State Visits to the UK: Gen. Yakubu Gowon in June 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981.

Although several Nigerian presidents have travelled to the UK since 1989, those trips were categorised as private, working, or official engagements, which do not carry the ceremonial weight and pageantry of a State Visit. Leaders such as Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and former President Muhammadu Buhari, who attended King Charles III’s coronation in 2023, all travelled under non-state designations.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office. Their first meeting took place in December 2023 on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai. A second, private meeting was held in September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, where discussions focused on climate change and global security.