The date has been set first state banquet of King Charles III since he ascended the throne: the Prince and Princess of Wales will join him at Buckingham Palace for a glittering visit in honor of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The king and queen consort will welcome the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, from 22 to 23 November. Buckingham Palace today announced the busy schedule that will see President Ramaphosa entertaining with senior members of the Royal Family, including Prince William and Princess Catherine.
The centerpiece of the visit will be the state banquet, which will be held on the evening of Tuesday 22 November and will be attended, among others, by the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex. State banquets are an important time on the calendar for any royal observer, as they are one of the rare occasions that royal women wear the tiara. The Princess of Wales has a range of priceless headdresses at her disposal, including the tiara The Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knotwhich she last wore on the occasion of the state visit of the King and Queen of the Netherlands.
President Ramaphosa will arrive privately in the UK on Monday 21 November, beginning South Africa’s first state visit since President Jacob Zuma’s in 2010. He will be formally received the following day on behalf of the King at the five-star Hotel Corinthia in London, who hosted everyone, from Beyoncé to former President Bill Clinton.
The two will accompany him on Horse Guards Parade, where the President will receive a ceremonial welcome from the King and Queen Consort at the Royal Pavilion. Introductions will be made, the Guard of Honor will give the royal salute and the South African national anthem will be played. The President, accompanied by the King, will inspect the Guard of Honour, made up of No. 7 Company of the Coldstream Guards. Afterwards, he will join the Royal Family for a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where they will be greeted by a second Honor Guard identified by 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards. Following a private lunch at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King, His Majesty will invite the President to visit an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of objects from the Royal Collection relating to South Africa.
In the afternoon, the President will visit Westminster Abbey, where he will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President will take a tour of the abbey, which will include the memorial stone of Nelson Mandela, who was President of South Africa between 1994 and 1999. At the Palace of Westminster, he will be welcomed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker. He will then give a speech in the Royal Gallery to Members of Parliament and other guests.
The same evening, the king will give a state banquet. These events are conducted with military precision, with thousands of glasses and crockery meticulously arranged on the tables and a menu carefully curated by the best chefs of the royal house.
On Wednesday morning, the President will be joined by the Earl of Wessex for a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. With Prince Edward they will then visit the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center that works at an academic, medical and industrial level to understand the biology underpinning health and disease. Subsequently, Ramaphosa will travel to 10 Downing Street for a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
Before leaving, the President will return to Buckingham Palace to formally greet the King.
Source: Vanity Fair
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