The Emperor and Empress of Japan have arrived in the UK to begin a three-day state visit, during which they will be given the customary ceremonial welcome. King Charles III will host a state banquet in their honour at Buckingham Palace and they will also visit Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens, the Francis Crick Institute and the Royal College of Music before laying a wreath at Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb in St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The trip had been scheduled for 2020 but had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the ongoing general election campaign, the Japanese royal couple will still receive a red-carpet reception, including a procession from Horse Guards Parade to Buckingham Palace and a carriage ride up the Mall. State visits during a general election are rare and are often rescheduled to avoid any conflict with the political campaigning, but the Japanese visit has gone ahead without the customary meeting with the prime minister at 10 Downing Street.
State visits are designed to strengthen relationships between countries and often involve a mix of pageantry and politics. This particular visit by the Emperor and Empress of Japan is intended to reinforce military, scientific and cultural bonds between the two nations. The visit is the first by a Japanese head of state to the UK since 1998 and will conclude with a nostalgic return to their former colleges at Oxford University, where they were both students.
The state banquet will be held in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace and will be one of the last formal occasions before next week’s election. During the banquet, the King will make a speech in honour of his visitors and will toast them in their own language, while the Emperor will then reply. The Princess Royal will not attend the banquet due to a head injury caused by a horse, which has resulted in her being admitted to hospital
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