South African leader honoured with right royal welcome to Britain

POMP and pageantry was on full display to greet South African president Jacob Zuma as he began a three-day state visit to Britain.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh officially welcomed Mr Zuma and his wife on a chilly and windswept Horse Guards Parade in London's Whitehall.

The two heads of state met on a dais decorated with South Africa's national colours and watched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. Among other senior figures introduced to the presidential couple were Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Home Secretary Alan Johnson, while Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup – head of the armed forces – led the senior military officers.

Mr Zuma, 67, a Zulu traditionalist who practises polygamy,

married his third wife Thobeka Madiba, 36, a former bank clerk, in January, and she was chosen to accompany him on the visit.

The procession along the Mall, by the Queen and the presidential couple, was a glittering affair as they were accompanied by a mounted Sovereign's Escort provided by the Household Cavalry's Life Guards and Blues and Royals.

The Queen rode with the president in the Australian State coach, while Mrs Zuma was joined by the duke in the Scottish State coach.

After lunch in the palace, Mr Zuma presented the Queen with a Zulu-themed chess set and an Ardmore ceramic dish featuring cheetah and palm decorations.

The Queen gave him a mounted bronze stag and a book called Hunting And Stalking Deer by Lionel Edwards and Harold Frank Wallace, dating from the 1930s.