Tuesday marked the start of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako’s three-day state visit to London, hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla of Britain. A state banquet, military display, and carriage procession are all part of the visit. The imperial couple were greeted ceremoniously at Horse Guards Parade by Prince William, the heir apparent after they had met at their hotel.
The two chiefs of state inspected the Guard of Honour before boarding a horse-drawn carriage with a gold trim to journey to Buckingham Palace. Postponed from 2020 owing to the epidemic, this visit is intended to strengthen military, cultural, and scientific connections between the United Kingdom and Japan.
A Downing Street meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is one of the political factors absent from the forthcoming British election on July 4. However, Sunak and opposition leader Kier Starmer will be present for the state banquet.
Due to his early 1980s studies in Britain, Emperor Naruhito attended Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 and has many happy memories of the country. Before visiting Westminster Abbey, he and King Charles would have lunch together, look at Japanese artefacts from the royal collection, and talk about their experiences.
