South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lands in the UK on November 21, 2022, ahead of the first state visit hosted by King Charles III as monarch. Climate change, trade and Charles's vision for the Commonwealth are expected to be on the agenda. Photo: VCG

King Charles III on Tuesday welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to London for a milestone first state visit of his reign.

Gun salutes were fired across London as Charles and Queen Consort Camilla were joined by heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine to greet Ramaphosa for a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade.

The monarch and Ramaphosa, both dressed in dark overcoats against the November chill, inspected the guard of honor together.

The parties then traveled to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession escorted by mounted soldiers from the Household Cavalry.

The route along The Mall was decorated with the British and South African flags with the band of the Scots Guards playing the national anthems of both countries as the king and his guest arrived at the palace.

The two-day visit sees Charles finally presiding over proceedings after decades playing a supporting role to his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September. In the last state visit of Elizabeth's record-breaking 70-year reign, the queen hosted US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania in June 2019.

Later in the day, Ramaphosa is expected to visit parliament for an address to both the upper and lower houses.

A tour of Westminster Abbey will include the memorial stone for Nelson Mandela, who served as president of South Africa between 1994 and 1999. 

In the evening, Ramaphosa is expected to attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Ramaphosa is also due to visit Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

At the start of the visit, the UK and South Africa governments announced the launch of the next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership.

"South Africa is already the UK's biggest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together," Sunak said.

Trade with South Africa, the continent's second biggest economy, is worth £10.7 billion ($12.7 billion) a year.

AFP