King Charles III of the United Kingdom welcomed Tuesday South Africa’s leader Cyril Ramaphosa in London for the first state visit since ascending to the throne after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
Both leaders, African News reports, inspected the guard of honor together and travelled to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession escorted by mounted soldiers from the Household Cavalry.
The gist of discussions between the monarch and Ramaphosa will revolve around climate change, trade and Commonwealth.
Ramaphosa is set to visit parliament for an address to both the upper and lower houses, attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, and hold talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his visit.
‘South Africa is already the UK’s biggest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together,’ Sunak said.
Both countries have also launched the next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership.
For Britain’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, the choice of Ramaphosa for Charles’ first state visit was a sign of the country’s ‘enduring commitment’ to Africa, even as it eyes new partners in Asia.