Emperor Naruhito’s state visit to UK ends with King Charles meeting

Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla met Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his wife to say goodbye on Thursday, at the end of a three-day state visit which has included a carriage ride, state banquet and visits to cultural and scientific centres.

The final meeting between the two royal couples took place at Buckingham Palace and comes towards the end of the 64-year-old emperor and Empress Masako's week long trip to Britain.

From the Palace, the Japanese pair were due to head to the Young V&A, a museum in east London which celebrates childhood and creativity, and currently has an exhibition called "Japan: Myths to Manga".

The pair were set to round off the public part of their stay at Britain's famous Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, west London, which is home to the world's largest collection of over 2.4 billion wild plant seeds including species from Japan.

There, they will tour the giant glass Temperate House, built in 1863 and home to thousands of different plants as well as see a display of Bronze Bonsai sculptures by British contemporary artist Marc Quinn.

The two heads of state have been highlighting the military, business and cultural ties between Britain and Japan over the course of the visit, which has taken place in the run up to Britain's general election on July 4.

That has meant the emphasis has been on the royal family, and there has been no meeting at Downing Street between the emperor and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Naruhito was also due to privately visit St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on Thursday, to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth.

He attended her funeral in 2022 and last week before his trip to London, he had spoken of his fondness for her and the kindness the British royals showed him when he came to Britain in the early 1980s to study.

The Japanese couple both studied at Oxford and will visit their respective colleges on Friday, before heading home.