• King Charles welcomed Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
• 74-year-old Charles conducted the typical pomp and ceremony as head of state.
• This was his first state visit since becoming king.

On Tuesday, King Charles III welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to Buckingham Palace. This was his first state visit since becoming king.

Charles, who is 74 years old, performed the traditional pomp and ceremony for the first time as head of state. This is because Britain wants to strengthen its relationship with its biggest trading partner, Africa.

Prince William, Charles’ eldest son and heir, and his wife Kate met Ramaphosa and his wife at a central London hotel. This was the official start of Ramaphosa’s two-day trip, which was the first state visit to the UK by a world leader since former U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania in 2019.

There were gun salutes and a formal greeting from the king and his wife, Camilla, the queen consort. This was followed by a grand carriage procession down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, where a banquet will be held later in the president’s honor.

Ramaphosa is going to visit Westminster Abbey to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknown warrior and look at the memorial stone for Nelson Mandela, who was the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He will also talk to parliament members and meet with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

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Britain hopes that the visit, which was planned before Queen Elizabeth died in September, will strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries and show how important ties are with the Commonwealth of Nations, an international group that Charles now leads.