How cosy!
Prince William, Duchess Sophie and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Richard and Brigitte – they all joined in at the state banquet for Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako. But alongside these familiar faces, a lesser-known royal also turned up at the table.
State banquet
The state visit of the Japanese imperial couple, which they had to wait almost four years for, could finally start yesterday. After an official welcome at Horse Guards Parade and the necessary formalities, day one traditionally ended with a state banquet.
We at Glamial are of course very interested to see who all joined us on Tuesday evening, and among those present we also spotted Sam Chatto: the grandson of the late Princess Margaret!
Sam Chatto
In addition to the obvious list of senior royals, Sam provided a surprise guest list. Samuel David Benedict is the eldest son of Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of the late Princess Margaret, and her husband, Daniel Chatto. The Chattos do not perform public duties, and only join the royal family for major events. They have appeared at King Charles’ coronation and Royal Ascot, but they rarely attend a British state banquet.
Link with Japan
Hello! Magazine reports why Sam was present at the state banquet after all: “He (ed.) was invited because he recently exhibited some of his work in Japan.” The 28-year-old Sam inherited his parents’ artistic talents and currently owns a pottery in West Sussex. As part of this passion, he was accepted last year for an internship with Japanese artist Yagi Akira in Kyoto.
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On the Instagram account of the Japanese artist Kazuaki Sakuma we found a video in which Sam works his magic. Here, the great-nephew of the late Queen Elizabeth transforms a mountain of clay into a small, graceful bowl. Good looking!
State Banquet Spain
It is not the first time that someone has been invited to a state banquet because of their ties to the country in question. For example, Lady Gabriella Windsor was invited to the state banquet for King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, because she worked there for a while.
Source: Hello! Magazine | Image: NL Beeld
