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

The visit was announced on Sunday via a post on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the British royal family, which stated that the Nigerian leader would be formally hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle.

According to the post, President Tinubu will be accompanied by his wife and First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

“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, 18th March to Thursday, 19th March 2026. The King and Queen will host the state visit at Windsor Castle,” the post read.

Reacting to the announcement, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the visit as historic, 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 to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18th March to 19th March 2026,” Onanuga wrote.

The last Nigerian leader to embark on a state visit to the United Kingdom was former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, who was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has described state visits as a tool of soft-power diplomacy, combining royal ceremony and hospitality to strengthen ties with key international partners.

President Tinubu and King Charles, who both assumed office in May 2023, have met on several occasions. In November 2023, the Nigerian leader met the monarch in Dubai ahead of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), where Tinubu described the engagement as a significant step toward strengthening bilateral relations.

In September 2024, King Charles also received President Tinubu at Buckingham Palace during a private meeting.

The British monarch has longstanding personal ties with Nigeria and has publicly expressed his fondness for 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, unveiling programmes aimed at tackling youth unemployment across the country.