{"id":549628,"date":"2026-03-19T02:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/549628\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T02:37:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:37:10","slug":"sophie-duchess-of-edinburgh-misses-the-nigerian-state-banquet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/549628\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh Misses the Nigerian State Banquet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Estimated2 min read<\/p>\n

The senior British royals hosted their first state banquet of the year<\/a> on Wednesday evening, honoring Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. However, while Prince Edward<\/a> was in attendance for the formal dinner at Windsor Castle, his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, appeared to have missed the event.<\/p>\n

Known as one of the hardest working members of the royal family, the Duchess has had a very busy schedule lately. Just last week, Sophie made a quiet visit to New York<\/a> to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meeting. That was right after traveling to Italy with Prince Edward, where they were supporting British athletes at the 2026 Winter Paralympics. The Duke of Edinburgh has served as patron of the British Paralympic Association<\/a> since 2003. However, being in Cortina, the couple did miss Commonwealth Day services<\/a> at Westminster Abbey on Monday with the rest of the senior British royals.<\/p>\n

\"StateWPA Pool\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Prince Edward seen entering St. George\u2019s Hall with the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Princess Royal.<\/p>\n

This is the first state visit by a Nigerian head-of-state to the United Kingdom in 37 years<\/a>. The most recent occasion was in 1989 when General Ibrahim Babangida, who took power of the country in 1985 in a bloodless coup<\/a>, met with Queen Elizabeth during a four-day visit. Today\u2019s state banquet also started later than usual as this was the first time since 1928 that the British royal family has hosted a Muslim head of state during Ramadan.<\/p>\n

The Nigerian state visit concludes<\/a> with tonight\u2019s dinner. King Charles and Queen Camilla\u2014wearing a familiar headpiece, the Belgian Sapphire Tiara<\/a>\u2014led the traditional procession into the gala dinner with Nigeria\u2019s first couple. Also in attendance were the Princess of Wales in her favorite Lover\u2019s Knot tiara<\/a>, Princess Anne in the Meander Tiara<\/a>, and the Duchess of Gloucester in Queen Mary\u2019s Iveagh Tiara<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Rachel King (she\/her) is a news writer at\u00a0Town & Country. Before joining\u00a0T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at\u00a0Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in\u00a0Forbes,\u00a0Observer,\u00a0Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and\u00a0Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at\u00a0@rk.passport<\/a>.<\/p>\n