King Charles III shared a heartfelt message with the Emperor of Japan on Tuesday as the pair of monarchs celebrated a centuries-old link between their two countries.
Speaking at the State banquet at Buckingham Palace - attended by delegates from the royal household, business, politics and more - the King read from a letter to his distant ancestor, King James I of England and VI of Scotland - the first ruler of a United Kingdom.
The King, addressing Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, said: "In 1613, Tokugawa Ieyasu wrote to my forebear, King James I.
King Charles recited Ieyasu's letter, saying: "Though separated by 10,000 leagues of clouds and waves, our territories are, as it were, close to each other."
The King addressed Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako
PA
King Charles recited Ieyasu's letter to his ancestor
PA/Public domain
He continued: "Over 400 years later, that sentiment remains at the heart of our friendship."
The King then proposed a toast to the Emperor, Empress, Japanese people and "the next 400 years of Japanese-British relations", adding "kanpai" - "cheers", in Japanese - before the country's national anthem was played by a band on a balcony above the diners below.
The UK and Japan had actually celebrated the historic 400th anniversary of the beginning of their relations back in 2013 - four centuries after the letter read out by the King.
And that letter, in which the Shogun had declared to King James I: "Send your subjects to any part or port of my dominions... They shall be most welcome," had followed the first contact between the two nations when an East India Company vessel arrived in Japan's waters in January 1613.
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The two royal couples met at Horse Guards Parade earlier on Tuesday
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But this week's State Visit evoked a much more modern, personal link between Britain and Japan; the Japanese Imperial couple had both attended the University of Oxford.
Emperor Naruhito had even written his thesis on the history of maritime traffic on the river Thames - and so was delighted to visit the Thames Barrier earlier this week, where he was "briefed about tidal defences operations".
During his studies, the future Emperor met with Queen Elizabeth II - and according to a 2006 biography of the then-Crown Princess Masako, he was surprised by how the Queen "poured her own tea and served the sandwiches".
Then, later, the future Empress Masako studied international relations at the university - and had to be persuaded to give up her fledgling career as a diplomat in order to accept Naruhito's 1992 marriage proposal.
HM The Emperor visited Thames Barrier and was briefed about tidal defences operations. The history of transport on the Thames was the subject of His Majesty's research at Oxford. His Majesty then had a reception with members of the Japanese community & friends of Japan in the UK. pic.twitter.com/gmRmhShBJq
— Embassy of Japan UK (@JAPANinUK) June 24, 2024
The British and Japanese monarchs and their wives were pictured at Buckingham Palace
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Later this week, the British and Japanese royal families exchanged a selection of gifts and honours.
The King was presented with Japan's highest honour - the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum - while, in return, the Emperor was appointed to the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the highest order of chivalry in the UK.
Charles gave Naruhito a bottle of artisanal, small batch release, single malt scotch whisky from Glen Garioch, a Japanese-owned Aberdeenshire distillery.
To accompany the whisky was a pair of silver and gold beakers by British goldsmith House of Benney, commissioned to feature both the Japanese Imperial Seal and the King's cypher.
While Queen Camilla presented Empress Masako with a handmade bespoke fan incorporating both Japanese and British good luck symbols in return for a Saga Nishiki brocade handbag.
