Charles bids farewell to Nigerian president ahead of state visit ending

The King has bid a fond farewell to the president of Nigeria after hosting a glittering state banquet in his honour.

Charles, joined by the Queen, gathered at the sovereign’s entrance of Windsor Castle to say goodbye to their guests Bola Ahmed Tinubu and first lady Oluremi Tinubu.

The monarch shook hands with the president while the Queen remarked to Mrs Tinubu as they stepped out to see the bright spring sunshine and cloudless blue skies: “It’s a lovely day.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said of the state visit: “There was genuine warmth and mutual respect from the King and the president.

“As demonstrated from their two speeches, there exists a strong friendship and wealth of opportunity between our two nations.

“With the complexity of geopolitical issues across the world, it underscores the importance of standing close and proud with our Commonwealth partners.”

The president, who stayed at the castle overnight, will later meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street and also pay his respects at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.

His stay in the UK marked the first by the west African nation’s leader for 37 years and the first incoming visit by a Muslim leader during Ramadan in nearly a century.

A special mocktail and other adaptations including a meat-free menu were made at the state banquet held in the castle’s St George’s Hall on Wednesday evening for Mr Tinubu and other Muslim guests.

Eid-al-Fitr – the Islamic holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan – begins on Thursday evening, when the president and his wife will depart the UK.

A small contingent of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards lined the castle’s quadrangle for the formal farewell.

The trumpeter sounded a royal salute as the president’s car passed by and left the grounds.