The trip will be the emperor’s second official state visit since his accession to the throne in 2019.
London:
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan arrive in Britain on Saturday ahead of a three-day state visit organized by King Charles III.
The royal couple are expected to land on a flight from Japan and spend Sunday and Monday in private engagements before the official program begins on Tuesday.
The highlight will be a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, with all eyes on a possible appearance by the wife of heir to the throne, Prince William, Catherine, rarely seen in recent months due to cancer treatment.
Naruhito, 64, will also go to Windsor Castle, west of London, to lay a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, whose state funeral he and the empress, 60, attended in September 2022.
With Britain in the midst of a general election campaign, it was not immediately clear whether there would be any meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Visiting heads of state typically held talks with the prime minister and opposition leader, or addressed lawmakers in parliament.
But there are no deputies because parliament was dissolved before the July 4 vote.
The trip will be the emperor’s second official visit since his accession to the throne in 2019, following a visit to Indonesia last year.
For Charles, 75, it will be the third state visit he has made since ascending the throne following the death of his mother.
‘Good memories’
Like Catherine, he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year but has made a limited return to public duties and was seen this week with his wife Queen Camilla at the Royal Ascot horse racing meeting.
Catherine, a future queen widely known as Kate, is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment and has stepped away from public life to aid her recovery.
She made a tentative return to public life last week when she took part in a military parade in London to mark Charles’ official birthday.
Elizabeth, whose 70-year reign began in 1952, received two Japanese state visits during her time on the throne: Emperor Hirohito in 1971 and her eldest son Emperor Akihito – Naruhito’s father – in 1998.
Speaking in Tokyo before the trip, Naruhito said the British royals treated him “like family” during his time studying in England in the 1980s.
Naruhito recalled that during his two years at Oxford University, he was invited to spend a few days at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland.
“I have fond memories of the Queen driving in a car and inviting me to a barbecue… and Prince Philip showing me around in a carriage,” he told reporters at a rare news conference.
The state visit program will also include a Guard of Honor ceremony, a carriage procession at Buckingham Palace and visits to museums and the Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center in London.
Before leaving on Friday, the Japanese emperor and empress will visit Oxford, where they both studied, for private engagements.
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