UK lays on lavish welcome for Japanese royals on state visit

AFP | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako received a guard of honour and royal welcome from King Charles III in London yesterday at the start of a three-day state visit to the UK.

The couple, who arrived on Saturday and held informal engagements over the weekend, were formally greeted by the British monarch, Queen Camilla and others ahead of a lavish evening banquet. It is the first state visit to the UK by a Japanese head of state since 1998 and, unusually for such a visit, comes during a general election campaign.

Some typical political elements, such as a Downing Street visit, have been scrapped in line with neutrality rules but all the traditional pomp and pageantry remained.

The emperor and empress were met on Horse Guards Parade in central London by a host of dignitaries -- including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak -- while gun salutes were fired and the two countries’ national anthems were played.

After Naruhito, 64, and Charles, 75, inspected the guard of honour, the royals travelled the short distance to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession for lunch.

The king, hosting his first state visit since it was revealed in February that he has cancer, will later take the emperor and empress to a special exhibition of items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan.

They will also lay a wreath at Westminster Abbey at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.