It represents the highlight of every state visit and every time it makes you dream for the sparkling tiaras and the elegance of the dresses sported by the ladies in the sumptuous ballrooms of Buckingham Palace. Queen Camilla, in white, she once again showed off one of the tiaras most loved by the late Queen Elizabeth, with Burmese rubies and diamonds (perhaps to recall the Japanese flag) and pinned on her left shoulder, for the first time, the new order of the royal family Charles III, close to that of Queen Elizabeth II. The order consists of a portrait of the sovereign, created in this case by Elizabeth Meek and based on a photo of Hugo Burnand from 2023, surrounded by diamonds and attached to a light blue silk bow. Also Empress Masako she opted for a total white ensemble and the imperial chrysanthemum tiara.
This is the first state visit hosted by the king since receiving his cancer diagnosis and the Japanese Emperor’s second since ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 (he was in Indonesia last year). He and Empress Masako flew in 2022 to the United Kingdom for Elizabeth II’s funeral and will pay their respects once again to the late queen by visiting her burial site at Windsor Castle. Emperor Naruhito said he was “very grateful” that his longtime friend King Charles had hosted him and his wife in London, despite the monarch’s months-long medical treatment. The Japanese royals kicked off their visit with symbolic gifts: a black lacquer box for King Charles III and a brocade bag for Queen Camilla, as well as a frame with a photo of the emperor and empress.
Present and absent
As of late this afternoon, it was still on the hope of a possible appearance of the wife of the heir to the throne, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, who was last seen at Trooping The Colour, the parade in honor of the sovereign’s birthday, on 15 June. But Catherine, undergoing treatment for cancer, was unable to attend the gala dinner honoring the Japanese royals and Prince William showed up alone, after welcoming the two royals this morning in their hotel, at Claridge’s in Mayfair, skipping the evening match of the European Championships, England Slovenia (he is president of the Football Association). Next to him were the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (the latter wearing the Lotus Tiara, usually worn by Princess Kate), and the Dukes of Gloucester.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was also present at the banquet and Labor Party leader Keir Starmer and his wife have taken a break from campaigning ahead of next week’s July 4 elections. Politicians took their seats around the horseshoe-shaped table to listen to speeches and toasts from King Charles and Emperor Naruhito. Also due to the upcoming elections, the program was changed and the visit of the Japanese royals to Downing Street was cancelled.
However, Princess Royal Anna is absent who, due to an accident that occurred a few days ago on his estate in Gatcombe Park, in Gloucestershire, was hospitalized with a concussion and minor head injuries after being hit by one of her horses. However, the dynamics of the accident remain unclear and the princess herself does not remember exactly what happened. An air ambulance was called and the royal was treated at the scene before being taken to hospital at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Her husband Sir Tim Laurence was with her and told reporters today that the princess was doing well and that her recovery was slow but without complications. The princess will be kept under observation for a number of days, meaning all her commitments have been cancelled, including a trip to Canada planned for the weekend. Ailsa Anderson-Cole, Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary who also worked with the Princess Royal, told the Mail: “She will be furious that she can’t keep her commitments and she hates disappointing people.”
The tables with roses in the Buckingham Palace gardens
The tables for the state banquet were decorated with small compositions of peonies and roses, and larger vases scattered everywhere. The roses came from the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Furthermore, Palmatum Seiryu Acer trees, known as Japanese maple, were arranged. The menu included Scottish langoustines poached on cucumber nest with basil mousse, fresh tomato consommé, Baked Cornish turbot fillet, with herb butter, wrapped in lettuce, selection of summer vegetables, potato and spinach croquettes, green bean and quail egg salad and, finally, ice cream bomb with peach sorbet. The king’s official harpist, Alis Huws, performed during the dinner.
Great memories… in Great Britain
The king joked with guests about fly fishing, Hello Kitty and Pokemon, saying that Britain and Japan share many things, beyond a passion for tea and talking about the weather. The return to London and Buckingham Palace awakened memories of Emperor Naruhito who, speaking at a press conference before the trip, had nostalgically remembered Queen Elizabeth: «I am really happy with this visit to Great Britain», adding that he regretted not being able to make the London trip when Queen Elizabeth was still alive. The state visit was originally scheduled for 2020 but was cancelled, due to Covid and the Emperor of Japan was unable to greet Queen Elizabeth for the last time, who died on 8 September 2022.
Naruhito, who attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth with Empress Masako, recalled some memories linked to the late sovereign highlighting the warmth and affection with which the Queen treated him when he was a student at Oxford University in the 1980s. The Queen invited him to tea at Buckingham Palace two days after he arrived in the UK as a postgraduate student at Merton College, Oxford, in 1983. ‘In a relaxed atmosphere, Her Majesty poured tea and we had a pleasant moment together,” he said.
