King Charles welcomes South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa at start of state visit - BBC

The King has welcomed South Africa's president astatine the commencement of the archetypal authorities sojourn helium is hosting arsenic monarch.

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, formally greeted Cyril Ramaphosa astatine Horse Guards Parade successful London arsenic the two-day travel began.

The president volition sojourn Westminster Abbey earlier attending a banquet hosted by the King astatine Buckingham Palace later.

Mr Ramaphosa's sojourn comes arsenic South Africa struggles to tackle continuing powerfulness blackouts and precocious unemployment.

It is the archetypal authorities sojourn to the UK successful much than 3 years aft they were stopped during the Covid pandemic.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met the South African president astatine his London edifice connected Tuesday greeting earlier escorting him to Horse Guards Parade for the ceremonial invited with the King.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Home Secretary Suella Braverman, were besides astatine Horse Guards, wherever the president and King inspected soldiers from the Coldstream Guards.

More than 1,000 soldiers and 230 horses lined up connected the parade crushed successful cardinal London arsenic portion of the accepted opening of a authorities visit.

His Majesty past rode down the Mall with Mr Ramaphosa successful a carriage procession to Buckingham Palace.

The set of the Scots Guards played the South African and British nationalist anthems arsenic the royal enactment and their guests arrived astatine the palace wherever the King, Queen Consort and president are having a backstage lunch.

Mr Ramaphosa, who has been caput of authorities successful South Africa since 2018, volition travel the contented of laying a wreath astatine the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior successful Westminster Abbey, and past code MPs and peers successful the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster.

Later, the King volition big a white-tie banquet astatine Buckingham Palace for Mr Ramaphosa wherever some men volition springiness speeches.

The sojourn follows the accepted format enactment successful spot during the reign of the precocious Queen Elizabeth II.

BBC confederate Africa analogous Pumza Fihlani says the president is hoping to usage the authorities sojourn to drum up enactment for UK concern successful South Africa to bolster the country's economical improvement and industries.

But his sojourn comes astatine a clip erstwhile Mr Ramaphosa is facing disapproval implicit South African unemployment levels and a instrumentality to powerfulness outages affecting households, businesses and schools crossed the state - astir each time for a fig of hours astatine a time.

On the time the authorities sojourn successful London began, Mr Ramaphosa received the backing of a bulk of his African National Congress' 4,000 branches nationwide up of his party's enactment league adjacent month.

He volition look a situation for the enactment from erstwhile wellness curate Zweli Mkhize who resigned from the authorities pursuing corruption allegations astatine the tallness of the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Africa's First Lady, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, has not accompanied the president connected the travel to London. She is reportedly recovering from oculus country and was advised not to travel.

This is the diplomatic equivalent of getting retired the poshest plates and cutlery to impressment the visitors.

Flags are retired connected the Mall, determination volition beryllium a ceremonial carriage ride, honour guards and a banquet successful Buckingham Palace.

The meal work for the banquet dates backmost to George IV - and the motives, buttering up visiting dignitaries, are adjacent older.

There is simply a superior soft-power intent down the toasts and tiaras of the visit. Trade with South Africa represents 30% of the UK's full commercialized with the African continent, worthy astir £11bn per year.

The King is besides present caput of the Commonwealth and volition privation to nonstop a affirmative connection astir strengthening relations.

There volition besides beryllium sensitivity to concerns person to home, with the backdrop of a deepening outgo of surviving crisis. It volition beryllium reddish carpets, but with a purpose.

On Wednesday, the Earl of Wessex volition escort Mr Ramaphosa to the Royal Botanic Gardens, astatine Kew successful south-west London.

The South African person volition past sojourn Downing Street to conscionable Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, earlier returning to the palace to bid farewell to the King.

Mr Sunak said: "South Africa is already the UK's biggest trading spouse connected the continent, and we person ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure concern and economical maturation together.

"I look guardant to welcoming President Ramaphosa to London this week to sermon however we tin deepen the concern betwixt our 2 large nations and capitalise connected shared opportunities, from commercialized and tourism and information and defence."

The president is besides acceptable to person a telephone from Labour person Sir Keir Starmer and be a Guildhall banquet with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.