Chinese At the invitation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan visited the United Kingdom from June 22 to 28. On June 25 and 27, the Emperor and Empress attended a welcoming ceremony at the Royal Horse Corps Parade, a luncheon hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, and a dinner hosted by King Charles III and the Queen.
The Emperor and his wife were awarded the highest order of the United Kingdom
At 6 p.m. local time on the 22nd, the Emperor and Empress arrived at Stansted Airport on the outskirts of London, their second visit to the United Kingdom after taking the throne. King Charles III of the United Kingdom said in Japanese, "Welcome back to England", which shows that the British royal family and the Japanese royal family have a long history.
Before leaving the airport, accept the drop-off etiquette.
It turned out that it was Prince Akishinomiya and Concubine Kiko who came to see him off.
It turned out that as early as 1983 and 1985, the current Emperor Naruhito of Japan (who was still the crown prince at the time) studied at the University of Oxford in England for two years, and his research topic at that time was also the "water transportation" that he continued to study in Japan in the future. During his two years in the UK, he enjoyed a free student life as an international student, and for Crown Prince Naruhito, who was careful and smiling in front of the public in Japan, this was the only free youth in his life. After returning to Japan, he remembered his memories of studying in England and wrote a book, "Two Years in England with the River Thames".
Crown Prince Naruhito in his youth.
In 1985, the crown prince returned to Japan after studying abroad. Three years later, in 1988, the gears of fate continued to turn, and the daughter of a Japanese diplomat went from Japan to study at Oxford University for two years, and she is now Empress Masako.
It can be said that the campus life at Oxford University was a speculative topic when the two first met, and it was also the factor that made the emperor fall in love with the empress at first sight. In 1998, Queen Elizabeth once said that the crown prince studied in Oxford and married his wife, who also studied in Oxford, which shows how much he likes Oxford University.
After unremitting pursuit, Empress Masako married into the royal family with the determination of "entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also doing things for the country, and marrying into the imperial family is also doing things for the country". In her role as crown princess, her most important job was to give birth to an heir for the royal family, preferably a boy, and she was never required to be active on the world diplomatic stage. When they became emperors and empresses, there were more opportunities to visit abroad, which was one of the reasons why Empress Masako's situation was getting better and better.
"Two Years in England with the Thames" written by Emperor Naruhito, a book full of youth and sensibility, has been reprinted as part of the project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Gakushuin University in 2023. The Emperor once wrote a "photocopy message": In the near future, I hope to go to England again with Masako, who is also studying at Oxford University.
In September 2022, the Emperor and Empress visited the United Kingdom together to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral. This time, I was on an international goodwill visit as a state guest, and the atmosphere was naturally cordial and pleasant, and it truly realized the emperor's vision of "revisiting the old land with Masako".
Emperor Naruhito during his visit to the United Kingdom.
Personally, the Emperor and Empress were so emotional about their visit to England that the King of England said "Welcome back" in Japanese. The relationship between the Japanese royal family and the British royal family is also very noteworthy, and this is the only country in the world that has maintained the "imperial family" of both East and West. Looking back at history, the history of imperial exchanges between Japan and the United Kingdom has lasted for nearly 160 years, and Japanese historians have said that "it began in the Meiji era, handed over to Showa, and deepened in Reiwa".
The Emperor and his wife together with Crown Prince William.
The visit of the Emperor and Empress to Britain can be said to have added weight to the friendship between Japan and Britain.
Empress Masako is allergic to horses, so she wears a mask.
As part of the state guest's visit to the UK, he attended the welcoming ceremony held at the Royal Horse Corps parade, which was welcomed by many people on the avenue in front of Buckingham Palace.
Everywhere I went, I was watched and photographed by people on the streets. For onlookers to the royal family, both the British and the Japanese have traditions.
At a dinner hosted by the King of the United Kingdom, Emperor Naruhito said, "I hope that the two countries will continue to maintain exchanges as indispensable German friends, understand each other, and work together to build a permanent German friendship and goodwill relationship." ”