A busy programme, despite all the setbacks.
The official program really starts tomorrow, but Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako have already landed in the United Kingdom this weekend. A long-awaited state visit will finally take place here in the coming days!
Arrival
We see this more often during state visits: even before the official reception takes place, the visiting delegation has already made many visits. After all, you also have to chat with fellow countrymen who live and work in the host country. And sometimes, as Grand Duke Henri and King Philip showed during the recent Luxembourg visit to Belgium, it can also be very nice to have coffee together a day earlier.
For example, Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, were captured this weekend arriving at Stansted Airport, just outside London. Sweet detail: it looks like my husband matched his tie to his wife’s light blue outfit. Aww!
Setbacks
It is not surprising that the imperial couple want to make the most of their visit, because they have had to wait a long time for it. Originally, this trip was already planned for 2020, and was supposed to be the first state visit for Emperor Naruhito after his accession to the throne. Then the pandemic threw a spanner in the works, and the visit was therefore pushed back considerably. Earlier this year, the British and Japanese courts announced that the long-awaited state visit would finally take place at the end of June.
Unfortunately, the program cannot go ahead completely according to the original planning: at the end of May, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that elections will take place on July 4. In order not to distract from the elections, the palace agendas were largely wiped clean, and cancellations rained down from Buckingham Palace. Fortunately, the long-awaited state visit can go ahead, but with a shortened program.
Pleasantly busy
Nevertheless, it looks like Naruhito, Masako, Charles and Camilla have a busy few days ahead of them. Tomorrow, the imperial couple will be welcomed by Prince William at their hotel, and the official reception of the couple will then take place at Horse Guards Parade. Furthermore, a wreath laying ceremony and a tour are on the agenda tomorrow, culminating in a radiant state banquet of course.
On Wednesday, the imperial couple will visit the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center where the UK and Japan are cooperating extensively. Afterwards there is a banquet on the program with all kinds of bigwigs and prominent figures from both London politics and local business on the agenda.
On Thursday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will officially say goodbye to their guests, and the Japanese imperial couple will visit the V&A Museum, where an exhibition on Japanese culture is on display.
However, despite a solemn farewell, this is not the end of the matter: on Friday, Naruhito and Masako will visit Oxford University, where they both studied in their younger years. The Lord Chamberlain, the highest official in the palace, then officially bids farewell to the imperial couple on behalf of the British king.
In short: the imperial couple will never be bored!
Source: Royal Central | Image: NL Image
