President Ramchandra Paudel will make the United Kingdom his first foreign port of call after assuming office. Sources at the President’s Office told the Post that Paudel is likely to participate in the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms scheduled for Saturday, May 6, at the Westminster Abbey.

Paudel was sworn in as Nepal’s President on March 13.

Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has already spoken to the President about the visit, which will soon be approved by the Cabinet, an official at Sheetal Niwas said. A small team will accompany Paudel in London. During the visit, the two sides are also considering holding a bilateral consultative meeting at the foreign secretary level to discuss various dimensions of Nepal-UK relations, a senior foreign ministry official said.

Nepal’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Gyan Chandra Acharya also briefed Paudel on the visit preparations. As the United Kingdom is one of Nepal’s oldest friends and has been helping the country for long, the government has decided to send the President to attend the function, the official added.

According to the BBC, among those attending the coronation will be the prime ministers, representatives from the Houses of Parliament, heads of state, and other royals from around the world. At the function, the new king will be crowned with the solid-gold 17th Century St Edward's Crown. The crown is heavy and only used at the time of coronation, said the BBC.