DREAM TEAM 

Kate and Wills are perfect pair as they share private joke alongside King & Queen on Nigerian State Visit

KATE and William have welcomed the Nigerian president at Windsor Castle today as he embarks on a state visit.

The Prince and Princess of Wales warmly greeted the president and his wife this morning as they arrived for a landmark visit.

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Kate and Wills met Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife on day one of the unprecedented state visitCredit: Getty
 

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Kate on her way to the ceremonial welcome earlier todayCredit: Splash
 

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The Princess of Wales speaking to First Lady Oluremi TinubuCredit: PA
Kate and Wills met Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, at the luxury spa hotel Fairmont Windsor Park, on the edge of Windsor Park, this morning.

The princess opted for diplomatic royal dressing by wearing a coat dress by young British-Nigerian fashioner designer Tolu Coker.

It is the first state visit to the UK by a leader of the west African nation in 37 years.

It is also the first incoming state visit by a Muslim leader during Ramadan in almost a century.

Kate and William escorted them to the town centre to formally meet the King and Camilla, where they were greeted by the national anthem.

The group travelled in a carriage procession in a show of traditional pomp and pageantry through Windsor to the castle’s quadrangle, for the ceremonial welcome.

King Charles will later host the couple at a glittering state banquet at St George’s Hall, where Camilla, Kate and Wills will also attend.

Thames Valley Police said extensive security measures are being deployed in the Berkshire town, as the event takes place against an international backdrop of the deepening Middle East crisis.

The president and the first lady arrived in the UK on Tuesday on a Nigerian Air Force flight.

In 2024, Harry carried out a quasi-royal tour to Nigeria with the Duchess of Sussex, after Meghan disclosed she was 43 per cent Nigerian after a genealogy test.

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First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Queen Camilla, Kate and Will during the ceremonial welcome at Windsor CastleCredit: Getty
 

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Camilla and Nigeria’s First Lady Oluremi Tinubu look on from a carriage during Tinubu’s two-day state visitCredit: Reuters
 

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King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive to meet the Nigerian President and his wifeCredit: Reuters
 

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King Charles with the President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed TinubuCredit: PA
Mrs Tinubu was later accused of criticising Meghan’s choice of outfits, when she gave a speech reprimanding young Nigerian women for dressing indecently and accusing them of mimicking “film stars from America”.

“They don’t know where they come from. Why did Meghan come here, looking for Africa? That is something we have to take home with. We know who we are and don’t lose who you are,” she said.

The first lady’s office said she was not talking about Meghan’s outfits, but that she “meant Meghan appreciates the people we are and hence her coming here”.

Their visit today goes ahead despite suicide bombings in north-eastern Nigeria’s Borno state on Monday, which killed 23 people and injured more than 100.

Mr Tinubu condemned the “evil-minded” terror groups and said he mourned those who lost their lives, saying “Nigeria will not succumb to fear”.

The last Nigerian state visit to the UK was in 1989, when Queen Elizabeth II welcomed military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida to London.

This time, the two-day visit falls at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, during which many Muslims fast and refrain from eating or drinking between dawn and sunset.

This means there will be no traditional lunch with the King in the castle for the president during the day.

The programme has been specially adapted, and Charles will receive the president during an audience in the afternoon instead of hosting the usual welcome lunch.

In 1928, Charles’s great-grandfather King George V hosted King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan, for a three-day state visit from March 13-15, when Ramadan fell between February 22 and March 22 that year.

There are no known records showing whether or not King Amanullah observed Ramadan.

Mr Tinubu will break his fast privately at sunset on Wednesday before joining the King and Queen for the night-time state banquet.

The first lady, who is known as Remi, is a Christian and an ordained Pentecostal pastor.

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

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Queen Camilla and Kate greeting each otherCredit: Max Mumby
 

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Members of the Band of the Grenadier Guards march towards Windsor Castle to take part in the welcome ceremony for President of NigeriaCredit: AP
 

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In 2024, Harry carried out a quasi-royal tour to Nigeria with the Duchess of Sussex, after Meghan disclosed she was 43 per cent Nigerian after a genealogy testCredit: PA