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Prince William Posts Gorgeous Royal Photo with Emperor and Empress of Japan as He Welcomes Them to U.K.

Author image: nakeisha campbell bio
By Nakeisha Campbell
Published Jun 25, 2024
•
2:52pm
prince william royal engagement
Ralf Ibing - firo sportphoto/Getty Images

After a weekend of dancing to Taylor Swift, Prince William is back in business with a very important royal engagement.

This morning, the Prince of Wales greeted Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan on behalf of King Charles at their hotel. The 42-year-old royal, who donned a black suit and red tie, shook hands with the couple before joining them for the official welcome at Horse Guards Parade, marking day one of their three-day visit.

On Instagram, the prince shared a photo of himself posing with the duo and wrote, "An honour to welcome Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan to the U.K. this morning." 

For the occasion, the emperor wore striped pants with a black blazer, while his wife stunned in a lace white coat dress. One fan commented, "I wish His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress a pleasant stay in England, beautiful photo." Another said, "The empress looks radiant."

Although Prince William typically leads royal welcomes with his wife, Kate Middleton (as we've seen with South Korea's state visit), he carried out the task solo, due to his wife's ongoing cancer treatments. Still, the future monarch looked like a natural as he accompanied the visitors for their official ceremonial welcome.

king charles emperor naruhito
Samir Hussein/WireImage

Per the official royal website, after King Charles and Queen Camilla formally welcomed the couple at the Horse Guards Parade, the emperor was invited to "inspect a Guard of Honour formed of the first Battalion Welsh Guards." Then, the royal party traveled to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession.

The royal family shared a few candid images from the ceremony on Instagram and wrote, "The Emperor and Empress of Japan have been welcomed to the UK by The King and Queen during an official ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in London. During the ceremony, the Guard of Honour—formed by the Welsh Guards—gave a Royal Salute and the Japanese National Anthem was played."

After having lunch at Buckingham Palace, the Emperor and Empress will visit an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Japan. This will be followed by a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, where King Charles and Emperor Naruhito will both make speeches.

Kudos to Prince William for such a successful kickoff.

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nakeisha campbell bio
Nakeisha Campbell

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Nakeisha has been interviewing celebrities and covering all things entertainment for over 8 years, but she has also written on a wide range of topics, like career...
read full bio