King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla received the President of South Africa, Cyril Rampahosa, on Tuesday at Horse Guards Parade in London, in what is the first state visit under the reign of the new British monarch.
Ramaphosa’s visit not only takes center stage as the first occasion on which Charles III receives a state visit since he became monarch, but also as the first such visit since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
The South African president first received the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Camilla, at their hotel in the British capital, and later went together to Horse Guards Parade, where Ramaphosa and Charles III reviewed the troops.
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, the Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, and the Minister of the Interior, Suella Braverman, also attended the event, where more than 1,000 soldiers and 230 horsemen took part in the ceremonial opening of a state visit.
Later on Tuesday, Ramaphosa will travel to Buckingham Palace to attend a banquet organized by the British Royal Family at which both the South African leader and Charles III are expected to deliver speeches.
Beyond Buckingham, Ramaphosa plans to visit Westminster Abbey; the Royal Botanic Gardens, located in Kew; as well as the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street. Finally, he will travel back to the royal palace to bid farewell to the monarch.
