by King Charles greeted his guests in Japanese as the emperor and empress of Japan were given the full splendour of a Buckingham Palace state banquet.
He toasted the Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako with a message that translated as “Welcome back to Britain”.
The dinner included poached langoustines, basil mousse, Cornish turbot, quail eggs and sorbet and peaches.
In response, the Japanese emperor spoke of how much he had enjoyed being a student in Oxford as a young man.
PAThe state banquet, in the capacious ballroom of the palace, with its elaborate table settings, chandeliers and flower displays, is a centrepiece of a state visit. It’s soft power with sorbet.
With the general election campaign taking place there was interest in the politics of the seating plan.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was not on the top table, which was occupied by senior royals including the King, Queen, Prince William and the Japanese royal couple.
If there was going to be small talk, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was next to Sir Clive Alderton, private secretary to the King.
Both party leaders are taking part in a TV debate tomorrow night, so they were probably having to forgo the Coates and Seely Brut Reserve, the Chateau Angludet, Margaux and the Laurent Perrier Cuvee Rose.
If there were messages in the music, in the background they were playing numbers including I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Skyfall and They Can’t Take That Away from Me.
PAThe King’s speech talked of the close friendship between the UK and Japan.
“Ours is a partnership with deep roots,” said the King, in areas of science, culture, defence and trade.
He also referenced some Japanese contributions to popular culture, including the Hello Kitty brand and mentioned the “Pokemon phrase ‘gotta catch ‘em all’”.
In response Emperor Naruhito emphasised the importance of the two countries striving for “true mutual understanding” and appeared to refer to previous wartime conflicts when he spoke of building friendships after “times of great difficulty”.
The emperor and empress were on the first day of their state visit, which began with a ceremonial greeting on Horse Guards Parade.
In blazing sunshine they were welcomed by the King and Queen, before taking the traditional carriage ride along the Mall to Buckingham Palace. The empress wore a face mask because of her horse hair allergy.
The Japanese royals brought symbolic gifts, a black lacquerware box for the King and a brocade handbag for the Queen, plus a framed photo of the emperor and empress.
The lacquerware was a reference to this year’s Noto Peninsula earthquake, with this type of design a traditional product of Wajima city that was affected by the earthquake.
King Charles gave his guests a pair of silver and gold beakers and although more normally associated with a drop of Laphroaig whisky, he gave a bottle of Glen Garioch, diplomatically from a Japanese-owned Aberdeenshire distillery.
The Queen presented Empress Masako with a handmade fan incorporating good luck symbols.
Reuters
PAIn the next few days this diplomatic charm offensive will see the Japanese visitors brought to the Francis Crick Institute, Kew Gardens and for a nostalgic visit to the Oxford colleges where the emperor and empress studied.
As the King said in his Japanese toast, cheers, or “Kanpai.”
