Nigerian State Visit Behind the Scenes: ‘Carefully Planned Operation’ and Why Prince William and Kate Were Watching Closely
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady of Nigeria Oluremi Tinubu arrived for their state visit to the U.K. on March 18. During the brief two-day visit, the royals rolled out the red carpet for their guests with a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle and an evening banquet in St. George’s Hall.
While King Charles and Queen Camilla played host, Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) were on hand as well and were the first to greet the Nigerian leader and his wife when they arrived at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel.
Now, someone who used to work for the royal family is lifting the lid on all the coordinating and planning that goes into these short state visits.
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch, Harrold’s duties included those of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. He also looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate whenever they stayed at Highgrove House.
Since leaving the royal household, he’s become one of the U.K.’s leading etiquette experts, a best-selling author, and a royal commentator. In 2025, he published his first book, The Royal Butler, which became an Amazon bestseller. He regularly appears on TV offering royal commentary on both current and historic news stories.
Speaking on behalf of Casino Hawks, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “A traditional state visit usually lasts three days, so it’s interesting that this one is just two. Firstly, you’ll have the arrivals and inspection of the guards, where the visiting head of state is invited to inspect the Guard of Honour. It’s a really nice tradition and custom to have, especially for those coming to visit.
“What makes this one special is that Queen Elizabeth had a love for Africa, and it’s always been a place that’s close to the royal family. The (late) queen, William, and Harry have all spent time in Africa. Charles also previously visited Nigeria, with his first visit as the then-Prince of Wales being in 1990. These events are important to Charles as it’s all about strengthening ties between the host and visiting country.”
Harrold revealed that all state visits are carefully planned operations, sharing, “State visits are planned around six months in advance. When it comes to the banquets, it takes around three days to fully set up. It’s a very tight operation. They’ve done it so many times now that it’s almost second nature to them.
“The royals will be briefed several days before the visit. There’s lots of discussion in the lead-up to make sure everyone is across and fully updated on the day, and reminded of what is going on. They’ll get a day card, which is on the king’s desk, and it has all the timings and everything that is going to happen.”
He added, “During the banquet, the seating is very carefully thought out — it’s not just thrown together. Kate was sitting next to the Nigerian president. She’s the second most senior female within the royal household, and then it goes down the ranks in seniority. That’s all planned out carefully. The king and queen inspect the table before a state banquet to ensure that everything is right.”
The former royal butler explained that these visits are something the Prince and Princess of Wales have been watching very closely because “William is the king in waiting, so he’ll be learning the ropes and observing when it’s his time to take on a state visit.”
