King hails Mandela friendship on South Africa state visit

King Charles has spoken of the strong friendship between the late Queen Elizabeth and Nelson Mandela, as the King hosted a state visit by South Africa’s current president.

At a banquet in Buckingham Palace, the King welcomed Cyril Ramaphosa and hailed the cultural and trading links between the UK and South Africa.

But the King also acknowledged the difficult legacy of colonialism.

He said there were “elements of that history which provoke profound sorrow”.

“We must acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past if we are to unlock the power of our common future,” said the King.

Hosting the first state visit of his reign, King Charles spoke warmly of previous meetings between the Royal Family and South Africa’s former president Mandela, who he praised for helping his country to move to democracy.

The King called for future partnerships which would help to tackle the “existential threats of climate change and biodiversity loss”.

He had introduced his speech by saying “welcome” in six different languages used in South Africa.

In response, Mr Ramaphosa remembered the fondness of the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Mr Mandela, who died in 2013, and how they had corresponded over many years.

The banquet, with toasts and speeches, is a traditional high point of a state visit, with more than 160 guests in the ornate surroundings of the Buckingham Palace ballroom.

The guests, each place setting with six different glasses and using a 4,000-piece dinner service dating back to George IV, had a starter of brill and a main course of pheasant.

The top of the table, alongside the King and the South African visitors, included the Queen Consort, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The Princess of Wales was wearing a bracelet that had belonged to Queen Elizabeth and earrings that had belonged to Diana, a previous Princess of Wales.

For her first state visit as Queen Consort, Camilla wore a sapphire and diamond tiara that had belonged to the late monarch.

Mr Ramaphosa’s trip to the UK has been the first state visit for more than three years after they were stopped during the Covid pandemic.

Following a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade, a carriage parade and lunch at Buckingham Palace, the South African president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

He also addressed MPs and peers in the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster.

BBC southern Africa correspondent Pumza Fihlani said Mr Ramaphosa, who has been head of government in South Africa since 2018, was hoping to use the state visit to drum up support for UK investment in South Africa – to bolster the country’s economic development and industries.

But his visit comes at a time when the president is facing criticism over South African unemployment levels and a return to power outages affecting households, businesses and schools across the country – almost every day for a number of hours at a time.

This month he also said he would “step aside” if charged over an alleged cover-up of a robbery at his private farm, which he denies.

On the day the state visit in London began, Mr Ramaphosa received the backing of a majority of his African National Congress’ 4,000 branches nationwide ahead of his party’s leadership conference next month.

South Africa’s First Lady, Dr Tshepo Motsepe, is reportedly recovering from eye surgery and was advised not to travel to London.

In a joint address to members of both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Ramaphosa called for improved trade and investment links between the UK and South Africa to help his nation deal with its issues with power cuts.

He also said he would urge Rishi Sunak to agree to a three-fold increase in the number of South African university students coming to study for doctorates in the UK when they have lunch at No 10 on Wednesday.

Before that, the Earl of Wessex will escort Mr Ramaphosa to the Royal Botanic Gardens, at Kew in south-west London.

The South African leader will then visit Downing Street to meet Mr Sunak, before returning to the palace to bid farewell to the King.

The president is also set to receive a call from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and attend a Guildhall banquet with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.