King Charles paid tribute to the late Queen and her close bond with Nelson Mandela as he rolled out the red carpet to host his first state visit as monarch.
The sovereign led the royal family in welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose visit was in the planning before Queen Elizabeth II's death, saying the Queen “always talked warmly of her return to your country”.
At a glittering state banquet in the Buckingham Palace ballroom, the African leader, whose wife was forced to miss the visit after reportedly undergoing an eye operation back home, heard how freedom fighter turned President Mandela had an endearing nickname for Her Majesty who passed away in September.
