Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, are finally on English soil, four years after their state visit was suspended due to the pandemic.
The couple enjoyed a warm welcome as they arrived late in the afternoon at Stansted Airport for the week-long official state visit.
The Japanese emperor, 64, and his wife attended the queen’s funeral in 2022; This week he revealed how the late monarch had treated him “like family” when he previously visited the UK, but it took him four years to reorganise. a state visit.
Today and tomorrow the couple will hold private engagements before their time in an official capacity begins on June 25.
Empress Masako looked elegant in a light blue suit with white lapels and a matching hat, and her husband wore a matching shade of blue in his tie.
Both Emperor Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, and his wife, Empress Masako, 60, spent time as students at Oxford University.
We are finally here. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan arrive at Stansted Airport on Saturday afternoon, with members of the RAF and UK officials on hand to greet them.
The couple were due to visit the UK on an official state visit in 2020, but their plans were put on hold due to the pandemic.
On Tuesday, the King and Queen will formally welcome the Emperor and Empress before taking a ceremonial carriage ride to Buckingham Palace. Naruhito will also lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey and then return to the palace for a state banquet.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labor Party leader Keir Starmer will take time out from their respective election campaigns to attend the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Earlier this week, Emperor Naruhito praised the British royals for treating him “like family” when he spent time with the late Queen Elizabeth in the 1980s.
Empress Masako, 60, looked elegant in a light blue suit with white lapels and a matching hat.
The couple, who studied at Oxford University as students, seemed delighted to finally be on British soil.
The Emperor’s private plane flies the country’s national flag out of the cockpit window as the plane stops on the runway at Stansted.
Members of the RAF greet the couple as they make their way to an official vehicle.
The Japanese emperor said this week that the late queen treated him “like family” when he was a young student in the United Kingdom.
During their two years of study at Oxford University, the royal was invited to stay at Balmoral for a couple of days.
Emperor Naruhito smiled as he recalled sweet memories of the late queen, Prince Philip and King Charles.
According to the Japan TimesHe said: “I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car, inviting me to a barbecue and Prince Philip showing me around driving a carriage himself.”
The father-of-one said King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, taught him how to fly fish, but admitted “none of us were successful.”
Queen Elizabeth escorts Naruhito through the Great Hall of Windsor Castle in 2001
Then-Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Charles view an exhibition after the opening ceremony of the 1991 Japan Festival at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022
“They welcomed me warmly, as if I were a member of their family,” Emperor Naruhito added.
He also attended the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022, marking his first trip abroad after the Emperor’s enthronement.
The royal said he was “very grateful” that King Charles was able to welcome him and his wife, despite his cancer diagnosis.
The Princess of Wales, 42, also announced that she had cancer in late March and was receiving preventive chemotherapy.
She attended Trooping the Color last weekend, where she rode in a carriage alongside her children, Prince Louis, six, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, nine.
Speaking about Charles and Kate, Naruhito said, “I hope their treatment goes smoothly and they can recover quickly.”
The Emperor plans to fly to the United Kingdom with his wife, Empress Masako, on Saturday and stay for eight days, with events for his official visit beginning on Tuesday.
During their trip, the couple will attend private events and meet Japanese people living in the United Kingdom.
Naruhito walks through Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 2001
Then-Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Charles attend the opening ceremony of the Japan Festival at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1991.
The Emperor plans to fly to the UK with his wife, Empress Masako (both pictured), on Saturday and stay for eight days.
Currently, Princess Aiko (pictured) is his only daughter and the law states that the throne will only be succeeded by a male descendant.
They will also go to the Francis Crick Institute and visit Oxford on their last day, where Masako also studied.
The Empress is still in the process of recovering from a stress-induced illness, according to the Japanese media.
Some have said that she has been suffering from this because she feels pressured to produce a male heir.
Currently, Princess Aiko is his only daughter and the law states that the throne will only be succeeded by a male descendant.
Aside from Naruhito’s nephew, Prince Hisahito, 17, the only male heirs are his brother, Crown Prince Akishino, 58, and his uncle, Prince Hitachi, 88.
Naruhito said yesterday: “The number of male members of the imperial family is decreasing, they are aging, and female members of the imperial family are leaving the imperial family upon marriage.”
If the marriage was to a prince, they could remain within the family; The problem is that there are no male royals to marry.
“Due to these factors, the number of members of the imperial family who can take on public functions is decreasing compared to before,” he continued.
“This is an issue that relates to the future of the imperial family, but I would like to refrain from commenting on issues related to the (legal) system.”