page_title: State visit
section_title: United Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: State visit / State visits by country / United Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: English: Prime Minister David Cameron with H.E. Mr Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia in Downing Street, 4 February 2013.
context_page_description: A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host, it is generally called a state reception. State visits are considered to be the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between two sovereign states, and are in general characterised by an emphasis on official public ceremonies.
  Less formal visits than a state visit to another country with a lesser emphasis on ceremonial events, by either a head of state or a head of government, can be classified as either an official visit, an official working visit, a working visit, a guest of government visit, or a private visit.
  In parliamentary democracies, while heads of state in such systems of government may formally issue and accept invitations, they do so on the advice of their heads of government, who usually decides on when the invitation is to be issued or accepted in advance.
context_section_description: A state visit to the United Kingdom is a royal event which involves the Queen and other members of the Royal family. An arrival ceremony usually takes place on Horse Guards Parade (There are also some instances where it takes place at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle) with a Guard of Honour being provided by members of the Queen's Guard. The guard of honour will always report to the dignitary in the language of the visitor, with the report being along the lines of the following:
  '"Your Excellency, the guard of honour, provided by the (states name of unit), is formed up, and ready for inspection." 
  Depending on the area where the ceremony takes place, a march past will immediately take place following the inspection. The foreign guest and the Queen then travel to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession escorted by a large number of mounted soldiers from the Household Cavalry. The welcome ceremony is accompanied by 21-gun salutes fired from Green Park and the Tower of London. Around 150 guests are invited to Buckingham Palace for the state banquet in the evening in the ballroom. 
  State visits do not formally occur between the United Kingdom and the 15 other Commonwealth realms, as the realms all share a common monarch and head of state. Visits conducted by the monarch to another Commonwealth realm is also not considered a state visits. Tours of other Commonwealth realms by the Monarch are conducted in their capacity as the monarch of that respective realm, and not as the British monarch. As a result, visits to other the Commonwealth realms by the United Kingdom are typically conducted as official visits by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Conversely, official visits to the United Kingdom by another Commonwealth realm is typically performed by their respective governor-general, or prime minister.
caption: Hassan Mohamud, President of Somalia with British Prime Minister David Cameron, during a Somalian state visit to the United Kingdom.
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