The state visit is Sultan Ibrahim’s first since ascending the federal throne on Jan 31 and comes at the invitation of Singapore president Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah departed from Istana Besar, Johor, at 9.45am in a car convoy, accompanied by two ministers-in-attendance: transport minister Loke Siew Fook and Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

The royal couple was also accompanied by the high commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore, Azfar Mohamad Mustafar.

Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah, who entered Singapore via the Johor Causeway, were greeted upon arrival at The Istana, Singapore, at 10.45am by Tharman and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam.

The king, accompanied by the Singaporean president, then inspected the guard of honour at the Ceremonial Plaza.

After the state welcoming ceremony, Sultan Ibrahim is scheduled to hold a meeting with Tharman, followed by an audience with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is set to step down on May 15.

In the evening, Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah will attend a state banquet hosted by Tharman at The Palace.

On Tuesday, the king will begin the second day of his state visit with an audience with Singapore deputy prime minister and finance minister Lawrence Wong, followed by a visit to the Parliament building.

Meanwhile, the queen will be visiting a women’s and children’s hospital here.

The king and queen are also scheduled to inspect the progress of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) project before returning to Malaysia.

The RTS Link is a 4km shuttle service between Singapore at Woodlands North station and Malaysia at Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru.

Sultan Ibrahim officiated the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on Nov 22, 2022.