Tuesday marked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first state visit to London under the reign of Britain’s King Charles III.
The two men jointly examined the guard of honour before proceeding to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession with the Household Cavalry’s mounted soldiers as their guard.
Trade, the Commonwealth, and climate change are anticipated to be topics of conversation between the two.
During his visit, Ramaphosa will also address the upper and lower houses of parliament, attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, and meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The two governments announced the beginning of the next stage of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership at the beginning of the visit.
We have ambitious plans to accelerate infrastructure investment and economic growth together because South Africa is already the UK’s largest trading partner on the continent. said Sunak.
The choice of Ramaphosa for Charles’ first state visit, according to Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, demonstrates the nation’s “enduring commitment” to Africa, even as it seeks out new allies in Asia.