King Charles hosts first state visit, welcoming South African president to UK

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - King Charles III welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Tuesday, thus hosting the first foreign dignitary on a state visit to the UK since he was crowned.

The king was accompanied by the Queen Consort, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and senior royal and political figures.

Charles III and Ramaphosa inspected a Guard of Honour before joining a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace.

The British government said in a statement ahead of the visit that the next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership is being launched Tuesday.

The partnership supports South Africa’s economic growth through major infrastructure developments and offers increased access to UK companies to projects worth up to £5.37 billion ($5.57) during the next three years

“South Africa is already the UK’s biggest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together,” said Sunak. “I look forward to welcoming President Ramaphosa to London this week to discuss how we can deepen the partnership between our two great nations and capitalize on shared opportunities, from trade and tourism and security and defense.”

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “This week’s State Visit, the first under His Majesty The King, is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our ties but also allows us to trigger greater growth, create even more opportunities for British and South African businesses alike, and further promote South Africa’s transition to green energy.”