A State visit is the highest level of foreign visits that a head of state can receive. It is a highly ceremonial engagement with diplomatic meetings and often features cultural exchanges and media coverage. It is usually the responsibility of the host nation to cover all costs of a State visit, including accommodation and travel for the head of state and their delegation. In the UK, for example, visiting heads of state are put up in Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle or The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Typically, State visits are a time for celebration and focus on the close links between the two nations. This can include cultural events, a review of the Guard of Honour and laying of wreaths. In the past, a State visit to Israel might have included a ceremony at Yad Vashem where the visiting leader and prime minister would rekindle the Eternal Flame and lay a wreath in commemoration of the 6 million Jews murdered during the holocaust.
A State visit is also an opportunity for the visiting head of state to demonstrate their country’s values and to promote peace and goodwill. The British Royal Family have hosted around 112 state visits since Queen Elizabeth II’s accession in 1952 and a State visit can be seen as an important symbol of the friendship between the United Kingdom and other countries across the globe. Symbolic gestures such as this can be controversial, however. For instance, in 2018 when Prince Charles was on a state visit to Japan, many former army veterans turned their backs to him and whistled ribald military tunes in protest.