President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived at the Stansted Airport in London on Monday where he is on a state visit to the United Kingdom. And the British Royal family is pulling out all the stops for the state banquet.
This will be King Charles III’s first state visit as Ramaphosa is embarking on a state visit to the UK from 22 and 23 November, at the invitation of the British monarch.
The last state visit to the UK came in June 2019, when Queen Elizabeth II hosted former US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania.
Behind the scenes of the Buckingham Palace banquet
The social media accounts of the royal family shared a behind-the-scenes look at what the president and the King will be feasting on at Buckingham Palace.
The dessert menu has incorporated South Africa’s national flower, the protea.
“The national flowers of South Africa, Protea, have been recreated out of sugar and painted with edible colouring, which will be presented at the State Banquet alongside petit fours and coffee,” the royal family account wrote.
WATCH: This is what’s currently happening in Buckingham Palace’s kitchen for the state banquet
Royal staffers have been busy preparing for Ramaphosa’s state visit. A day before he arrived, employees at the Royal Mews were busy getting the horses ready for their starring role in the State Visit Carriage Procession.
Last week, Charles met another royal, the King of Spain, King Carlos III, at Clarence House, in London.
The purpose of the visit was to preside over the celebration of the 135th anniversary of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom.
ALSO READ: PHOTOS: Ramaphosa arrives in London for King Charles III’s first state visit
The SA government says Ramaphosa’s visit to the UK and Northern Ireland is “to identify new areas of collaboration in advancing economic recovery and stability and reaffirming the solid foundation between the two countries.”
“Royal State Visits are the highest honour bestowed on a country by the United Kingdom in the furtherance of bilateral relations and as a symbol of respect and of the importance the UK ascribes to its relations with a particular country,” the presidency added.
