DStv Channel 403 Friday, 27 September 2024

Ramaphosa arrives in UK for king's first state visit

LONDON - President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday landed in Britain ahead of the first state visit hosted by King Charles III as monarch.

Ramaphosa arrived at London Stansted airport on a South African Air Force jet, and was met by a British military guard of honour.

The official programme starts on Tuesday and will include a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The last state visit to the UK came in June 2019, when Queen Elizabeth II hosted US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania.

READ: UK ready to host Ramaphosa next week

Climate change, trade and Charles's vision for the Commonwealth are expected to be on the agenda.

Also on the agenda is an address to lawmakers from both houses of parliament and a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Downing Street.

Ramaphosa was last in London for the state funeral of the queen at Westminster Abbey in September.

His state visit comes more than a decade after the last by a South African leader, when Jacob Zuma came to the UK in 2010.

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