King Charles praises 'mutually respectful relationship' with Nigeria during official dinner engagement

Britain's Queen Camilla and King Charles III welcomed Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu to a State Banquet in St George's Hall, Windsor Castle, marking the first day of a two-day State Visit to the United Kingdom by Nigeria's President on March 18, 2026.

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King Charles III praised the "partnership of equals" between Britain and Nigeria as he hosted the banquet, noting that the two nations have a "deep bond" that has yielded significant benefits for both countries.

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The historic Windsor Castle, located west of London, played host to the banquet, which saw Charles and Queen Camilla host Tinubu, his wife, and other Nigerian officials, bankers, business people, sports stars, and cultural figures with Nigerian heritage.

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In his opening speech, King Charles described Nigeria as an "economic powerhouse" that has undergone significant transformation, stating that the country "has not merely changed, it has arrived".

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Charles highlighted the strong economic ties between the two nations, citing examples of Nigerian banks based in the City of London and British export finance supporting investment in Nigeria's ports, and noting that "Nigeria is investing in Britain's future as much as Britain is investing in Nigeria's".

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The banquet was attended by notable Nigerian figures, including CEO of fintech bank Moniepoint, Tosin Eniolorunda, and Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian billionaire of Lebanese descent who was convicted of money-laundering in Switzerland in 2000.

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Celebrities with Nigerian heritage, such as England rugby captain Maro Itoje, Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogo, and former England footballer Eniola Aluko, were also in attendance, along with arts figures like writer Ben Okri and Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage.

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King Charles described individuals with connections to both Britain and Nigeria as a "living bridge" between the two countries, referring to them as "quiet heroes" at the heart of British life, while Tinubu noted that "our people remain the strongest bridge between our two countries".

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Tinubu cited areas such as healthcare and sport as examples of the strong connections between the two nations, and King Charles thanked him for traveling during Ramadan, acknowledging that it was "no small sacrifice" and wishing him "Ramadan Mubarak".

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This state banquet marked the first time since 1928 that a Muslim head of state had been hosted during Ramadan, with adjustments made to accommodate the guests, including a prayer room and iftar before the dinner, where guests were served turbot fish and Tinubu drank a non-alcoholic toast.

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Earlier in the day, Charles and Camilla had greeted the president and his wife in Windsor, west of London, on a sunny afternoon, as artillery fired salutes and Nigerian flags and Union Jacks flew along the town's main street.

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At Windsor Castle, Charles and Tinubu inspected a guard of honour in traditional bearskin hats, and the king began and ended his banquet speech with phrases in the Nigerian native language Yoruba and Pidjin, which is based on English.

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Tinubu responded to the king's greeting in Yoruba by laughing and clapping, and the king acknowledged "chapters in our shared history that I know have left painful marks", stating that "no words" could dissolve these painful memories of Nigeria's past as a British colony.

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The Nigerian president's visit came amid a backdrop of violence in northeastern Nigeria, where suspected suicide bombings had killed at least 23 people on Monday evening, and Tinubu responded by ordering security chiefs to move to the affected area to "take charge of the situation".

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Nigerian soldiers killed 80 jihadists who had planned to attack a military position in conflict-battered Borno state on Wednesday, as the west African nation continues to grapple with a jihadist insurgency that has ravaged the country since 2009.

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Tinubu was set to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, and was also scheduled to meet members of the Nigerian community abroad, while First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, a Christian pastor, was set to preach at London's Lambeth Palace and meet representatives of the Church of England.

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Notably absent from the official schedule was the traditional meeting between the visiting head of state and the British opposition, although Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who is of Nigerian descent, was a guest at the banquet and has been critical of Nigeria over corruption and violence.

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The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, although Tinubu had met with King Charles in September 2024, and the king had visited Nigeria four times as Prince of Wales, most recently in 2018, before the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022.