King Charles III paid tribute to his late mother on Tuesday as he hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a state banquet.
The king said Queen Elizabeth admired the country's “people, its vibrancy, natural beauty and diversity”.
He spoke of his mother’s long relationship with the Commonwealth nation during a speech at the banquet to mark Mr Ramaphosa's two-day state visit to the UK.
The monarch also mentioned the sometimes troubled past relationship between the two nations that “provoke profound sorrow”.
But he said: “We must acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past if we are to unlock the power of our common future."
Strictly star Johannes Radebe, originally from South Africa, was among the 163 guests at the white-tie dinner, joining broadcaster Zeinab Badawi, interior designer Kelly Hoppen and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh.
Royal glamour was on show, with the Queen Consort, Princess of Wales and Countess of Wessex wearing lavish banquet gowns and sparkling tiaras.
Leading national figures were also presen,t from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Lord Hain, the former Northern Ireland secretary and anti-apartheid campaigner, and Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England.
King Charles drew a gasp from Mr Ramaphosa, who said “wow” when the monarch said “welcome” in six languages spoken in South Africa.
“The late queen had the great pleasure of hosting Presidents Mandela, Mbeki and Zuma for state visits to the United Kingdom, at all of which I was present," the king said.
"On each of those occasions, she expressed her admiration for your country and its people, its vibrancy, natural beauty and diversity.
“And she always talked warmly of her return to your country in 1995, as the guest of President Mandela, after the momentous events – driven from within South Africa and supported by so many around the world, including here in the United Kingdom – that brought democracy to your country.
“During one of my own visits to South Africa, in 1997, President Mandela told me that he had conferred on my mother a special name – Motlalepula, meaning ‘to come with rain’.
“I have been reassured that this was a mark of the particular affection President Mandela felt for the queen … rather than a remark on the British habit of taking our weather with us.”
The South African leader was earlier welcomed with a ceremony of pomp and pageantry at Horse Guards Parade with the King hosting a state visit for the first time as monarch.
Mr Ramaphosa was escorted to Horse Guards Parade, in central London, close to Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament, for the official welcoming ceremony.
More than 1,000 soldiers and 230 horses took part in the event, with two immaculate lines of foot guards from the Coldstream Guards Number 7 Company on duty.
Nearby, in gleaming breast plates and plumed helmets, were members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, made up of Life Guards and The Blues and Royals, commanded by Maj Robert Perera.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were part of events for the first time, travelling to Mr Ramaphosa's luxury hotel in central London and accompanying him to Horse Guards Parade.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain and South Africa would join forces to “turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together”.
Queen Consort Camilla was first to leave the state coach as she stepped down from the carriage while holding on to her clutch bag.
The king followed and turned to wait for Mr Ramaphosa, gesturing towards the steps.
In the Buckingham Palace Picture Gallery after lunch, he was shown artefacts from the Royal Collection.
Mr Ramaphosa picked up a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II standing side by side with former South African president Nelson Mandela at a state banquet at the palace in 1996, saying: “This is a lovely picture.”
They also came across a photograph of King Charles with the Spice Girls in South Africa in 1997.
The king also showed Mr Ramaphosa a copy of the speech that the late queen delivered on her 21st birthday in Cape Town
Why is the visit important?
Britain is hoping the two-day visit will strengthen bilateral ties with the resource-rich Commonwealth nation, particularly as diplomatic relations have become strained in recent years.
South Africa was angered over the UK's move to place the country on a travel blacklist in response to the spread of the Omicron variant last year, which led to a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases there.
Meanwhile, South Africa's refusal to back votes condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the UN has caused consternation in many western capitals.
On the agenda of talks will be the environment and climate change, an issue close to King Charles's heart.
Britain has pledged $8.5 billion to help South Africa transition from its dependence on coal, which has made it one of the world's major emitters of carbon.
What will happen for the rest of the visit?
Mr Ramaphosa will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, as is traditional, and also visit the Palace of Westminster, giving an address in the Royal Gallery to politicians.
On Wednesday, the Earl of Wessex will escort the South African leader to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, south-west London.
Mr Ramaphosa will then visit Downing Street to meet Mr Sunak, before returning to the palace to bid farewell to the king.
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
