Japanese royals arrive for three-day state visit to UK
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Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrive on a state visit to Britain, at Stansted Airport near London.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON - Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived in Britain on June 22 for a three-day state visit hosted by King Charles III.
A special flight from Japan landed at London’s Stansted airport. The royal couple are to spend June 23 and 24 at private engagements before the official programme begins on June 25.
The highlight will be a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, with all eyes on a possible appearance by heir to the throne Prince William’s wife Catherine, rarely seen in recent months due to cancer treatment.
Emperor Naruhito, 64, will also go to Windsor Castle, west of London, to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, whose state funeral he and the Empress, 60, attended in September 2022.
With Britain in the midst of a general election campaign,
Visiting heads of state typically hold talks with the premier and opposition leader, or address lawmakers in parliament. But parliament has been dissolved before the July 4 vote.
The trip will be the Emperor’s second official state visit since his accession to the throne in 2019, following a visit to Indonesia in 2023.
For Charles, 75, it will be the third state visit he has hosted since he became king following the death of his mother.
‘Fond memories’
Like Catherine, he was diagnosed with cancer
Catherine, who is widely known as Kate, is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
She made a first tentative return to public life last week when she attended a military parade in London
Elizabeth, whose 70-year reign began in 1952, hosted two Japanese state visits during her reign: Emperor Hirohito in 1971 and his eldest son Emperor Akihito – Emperor Naruhito’s father – in 1998.
Speaking ahead of the trip, Emperor Naruhito said Britain’s royals treated him “like family” during his time studying in England in the 1980s.
He recalled that during his two years at Oxford University, he was invited to Balmoral Castle in Scotland for a few days.
“I have very fond memories of the queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue... and Prince Philip showing me around by driving a carriage himself,” he told a rare press conference.
The state visit’s programme will also include a Guard of Honour ceremony, a carriage procession at Buckingham Palace, visits to museums and to the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre in London.
Before leaving on June 28, the Japanese emperor and empress will visit Oxford, where they both studied, for private engagements. AFP
