King Charles III on Wednesday evening hosted members of the Nigerian diaspora in the United Kingdom at a reception ahead of the state visit of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Britain.
The reception, held at an undisclosed royal venue, featured Jollof rice and live music by Dele Sosimi and the Afrobeats Orchestra.
The British Royal Family described the event as “a wonderful evening” in a post on its official X handle on Thursday.
According to the statement, the King hosted the reception with members of the Nigerian diaspora ahead of the incoming state visit of the Nigerian President, thanking participants for attending the event.
Tinubu and Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, are scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom as guests of King Charles and Queen Camilla from March 18 to March 19, 2026.
The visit will mark the first state visit to Britain by a Nigerian leader in 37 years.
The last Nigerian leader to undertake such a visit was former military president Ibrahim Babangida, who was hosted for four days in 1989 by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
READ ALSO: UK Tightens Windsor Security Ahead Of Tinubu’s High-Profile Royal Visit
Ahead of Tinubu’s arrival, British authorities have announced heightened security measures around Windsor Castle in Windsor.
Thames Valley Police, working with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and the Royal Household, said airspace restrictions over Windsor Castle would be extended on March 18 from 7am to 11.59pm.
Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall of the Joint Operations Unit said armed officers, search teams, the Mounted Section, road policing units and Project Servator resources would be deployed across Windsor.
He added that the security arrangements would also include an extensive closed-circuit television network and hostile vehicle mitigation barriers.
Authorities said road closures and parking restrictions would begin on March 17, with possible temporary disruption to traffic in and around Windsor during the visit.