How Japan’s Emperor never got the chance to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, who treated him ‘like family’ when he was a student, after Covid stopped 2020 state visit
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako landed in Britain on Friday for a long-awaited official state visit, but the monarch expressed regret that they could not make the trip while Queen Elizabeth was still alive.
The Japanese emperor, 64, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, and his wife, 60, will spend seven days conducting private engagements with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
However, the trip is bittersweet because Naruhito never got the chance to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, who passed away on September 8, 2022, after Covid halted his planned 2020 state visit.
The Emperor, who attended the Queen’s funeral in 2022, revealed how the late monarch had treated him with “warmth” and “like family” when he was a student at Oxford University in the 1980s.
During his two years studying at Oxford University, the royal family was invited to stay at Balmoral for a few days. Emperor Naruhito smiled as he recalled fond memories of the late Queen, Prince Philip And King Charles.
Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako landed in Britain on Friday for a long-awaited official state visit, but the monarch regretted that they could not make the trip while Queen Elizabeth was still alive.
According to the Japanese timeshe said: ‘I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car, inviting me to a barbecue and Prince Philip showing me around by driving a carriage himself.’
The father-of-one said King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, taught him how to fish, but admitted ‘neither of us had success’.
“I was received with warmth as if I were their family member,” Emperor Naruhito added.
He also attended the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022, marking his first trip abroad after the Emperor’s accession to the throne.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the trip, Naruhito said: “I am really happy to be able to visit Britain this time.
However, the Emperor said he regretted that they could not make the trip while Queen Elizabeth was still alive.
“During our upcoming visit, I would like to reflect on the long history of exchanges between Japan and Britain,” Naruhito said.
The royal family said he was “very grateful” that King Charles would welcome him and his wife despite his cancer diagnosis.
Queen Elizabeth escorts Naruhito through the Great Hall at Windsor Castle in 2001
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022
Naruhito walks past Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 2001
The Princess of Wales, 42, also announced at the end of March that she had cancer and had undergone 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 nine-year-old Princess Charlotte.
Speaking of Charles and Kate, Naruhito said, “I hope their treatment goes smoothly and they can recover quickly.”
The emperor plans to fly to Britain on Saturday with his wife, Empress Masako, and stay there for eight days. The events for their official visit start on Tuesday.
During their trip, the couple will attend private events and meet Japanese people living in Britain.
Naruhito said he looks forward to rekindling his friendship with the British royal family and exploring Oxford, where he studied 40 years ago.
Arriving in sunny London, Empress Masako looked elegant in a powder blue suit with white lapels and a matching hat, while her husband wore a matching shade of blue on his tie.
Japan’s then Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Charles view an exhibition after the opening ceremony of the 1991 Japan Festival at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Then-Crown Prince Naruhito and Prince Charles attend the opening ceremony of the Japan Festival at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1991
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako arrived at Stansted Airport on Saturday afternoon
The couple were due to visit Britain in 2020 for an official state visit, but their plans were put on hold due to the pandemic
Empress Masako, 60, looked elegant in a powder blue suit with white lapels and a matching hat
The couple, who were both students at Oxford University, seemed delighted to finally be on British soil
Members of the RAF saluted the couple as they made their way to a service vehicle
The emperor plans to fly to Britain on Saturday with his wife, Empress Masako (both pictured) and stay there for eight days
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 in Westminster Abbey and then return to the palace for a state banquet.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labor leader Keir Starmer will take time from their respective election campaigns to attend the state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
They also go to the Francis Crick Institute and on their last day visit Oxford, where Masako also studied.
According to the Japanese newspaper, the empress is still recovering from a stress-related illness.
Some have said that she suffers from this because she feels pressure to produce a male heir.
Currently, Princess Aiko is their only child and the law states that the throne may only be succeeded by a male offspring.
Currently, Princess Aiko (pictured) is their only child and the law states that the throne will only be succeeded by a male offspring
Apart from Naruhito’s cousin 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 getting older, and female members of the Imperial Family are leaving the Imperial Family after marriage.”
If the marriage were to a prince, they could remain within the family – the problem is there are no male royals for them to marry.
“Due to these factors, the number of members of the Imperial Family who can assume public duties is decreasing compared to the past,” he continued.
“This is an issue that concerns the future of the Imperial Family, but I would like to refrain from commenting on matters related to the [legal] system.’