Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his wife in London on Tuesday, kicking off a three-day state visit that includes a military parade, chariot procession and state banquet.
Prince William, Charles’ son and heir to the throne, had already arrived at the hotel where the 64-year-old monarch and Empress Masako are staying before the three arrived at Horse Guards Parade on Tuesday for a formal welcome.
Both heads of state, Charles in a top hat, then inspected a guard of honour, as soldiers, wearing their traditional red uniforms and black bearskin hats, stood in lines in the heat.
They then travel to Buckingham Palace in a gold-edged horse-drawn carriage.
The Emperor’s visit aims to celebrate and deepen military, cultural and scientific ties between the two countries, and was postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic.
The event takes place ahead of the UK election on July 4, meaning it will be missing some of the usual political elements.
There will be no meeting between the monarch and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Downing Street, although both Sunak and opposition leader Keir Starmer will attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening.
The visit comes at a difficult time for the British monarchy, as Charles, 75, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and William’s wife Catherine is receiving preventive chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
In another setback, Charles’ younger sister Princess Anne suffered a head injury on Sunday in an accident believed to be related to a horse. Although she is expected to make a full recovery, she has refused to attend state banquets.
Emperor Naruhito visited London to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 and is fond of the UK as he studied here in the early 1980s.
He has spoken about the kind treatment shown to him by the British royal family during that time, including meeting the royal family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where Charles took him fishing.
The two will have time to discuss those memories during lunch at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. They will then view Japanese-related objects from the royal collection before touring Westminster Abbey in the afternoon.
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