South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Tshepo Motsepe will pay a three-day state visit to the UK in November, the first for King Charles III since he took the throne, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
“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 to pay a State visit to the United Kingdom from Tuesday 22 November to Thursday 24 November 2022,"
the palace said in a statement.
"The King and Queen Consort will host the State Visit to Buckingham Palace
," it added.
This is the first state visit to London by King Charles III since his accession to the throne on September 8 following the death of Elizabeth II.
The announcement of the arrival of the South African leader takes place while questions remain about the first official trip of the new king abroad.
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He was to go to Egypt for COP27, an international climate summit, but according to the British press, Prime Minister Liz Truss would have opposed it.
As head of state, the king organizes state visits, which surround themselves with special pomp, inviting leaders from around the world on the advice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Typically these tours involve a carriage procession, cannon fire from Green Park and the Tower of London, state banquets and overnight stays at Buckingham Palace.
In 2019, on the occasion of the last state visit organized by the United Kingdom, the visit under the honors of the American president at the time Donald Trump had angered some Britons because of the positions taken by the leader American.
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The last state visit by a South African leader to the UK was in 2010, when then-President Jacob Zuma visited London for three days.
In South Africa, as in other Commonwealth countries, however, the British crown is not unanimous.
While Mr Ramaphosa paid tribute to
the “commitment and dedication” of an
“extraordinary”
queen
at the time of the monarch’s death, some of the youth refused to celebrate it because of the slavery and colonialist past of the British monarchy.
