King and Queen Consort will next month welcome South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr. Tshepo Motsepe received for a first state visit
- The King and Queen Consort will make their first state visit on November 22-24
- The visit is said to have been in the early stages of planning when the late Queen passed away
- First state visit since former US President Donald Trump came to the UK in 2019
The King and Queen will be making their first state visit to Buckingham Palace next month.
Charles and Camilla will meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr. Greet Tshepo Motsepe.
The visit is understood to have been in the early stages of planning when the late Queen died.
The King and Queen will be making their first state visit to Buckingham Palace next month
She met Mr Ramaphosa when he was in London for a meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in 2018 and gave him letters sent to her by former President Nelson Mandela.
Next month’s state visit will be the first since former US President Donald Trump came to the UK in 2019.
The Emperor of Japan was due to come in 2020 but was canceled due to the pandemic.
Visiting heads of state would normally base themselves at Buckingham Palace, but it’s not clear if this will be possible given the extensive building work going on at the monarch’s official London residence.
South Africa is a long-standing member of the Commonwealth, having joined in 1931. It left in 1961 only to rejoin in 1994. Pictured: the late Queen with President Mbeki of South Africa and the Duke of Edinburgh, in Windsor, during the President’s three-day state visit in 2001
Charles and Camilla will meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr. Greet Tshepo Motsepe. King Charles is pictured speaking to South African models in Cape Town in 2011
The last head of state to stay at Buckingham Palace was King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2018.
President Trump stayed at his official residence in London during the visit of the US ambassador – much to the disappointment of the head of state.
State visits are a crucial part of the Royal Family’s role in promoting Britain abroad and strengthening international relations. Foreign heads of state are received by the monarch with full military honors and sumptuous banquets amid great pomp and ceremony.
The visits are considered a prime example of the power of the monarchy of “soft diplomacy”. All state visits are conducted at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The timing of the trip, which has been planned for several months, comes at a difficult time for President Ramaphosa, who is facing calls for his impeachment.
Former South Africa spy agency boss Arthur Fraser has filed a criminal complaint against Mr Ramaphosa, accusing him of money laundering and bribery to cover up a break-in at his game farm in February 2020.
It is alleged that £3.5million worth of illegal US dollars was stolen before the suspects were caught, questioned and paid to keep the presence of undeclared foreign currency a secret.
The president, who came to power on an anti-corruption ticket, has confirmed there was a theft on his farm but has denied any wrongdoing. investigate law enforcement agencies. However, the National Assembly of South Africa has appointed an independent panel to make a preliminary assessment of whether an impeachment inquiry should be held against Mr Ramaphosa for alleged misconduct in relation to the theft.
South Africa is a long-standing member of the Commonwealth, having joined in 1931. It left in 1961 only to rejoin in 1994.
Buckingham Palace said last night: “The President of the Republic of South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Dr Tshepo Motsepe, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty the King for a state visit.”