The King and Queen kissed the Emperor and Empress of Japan goodbye as their official three-day state visit drew to a close.
Charles and Camilla bid farewell to their guests on the steps of Buckingham Palace after the foreign head of state and his wife had spent the past few days touring the capital.
The closeness of their friendship was shown when the King and Queen kissed Empress Masako with Camilla repeating the goodbye gesture for Emperor Naruhito, kissing him on both cheeks, while Charles warmly shook his hand.
The King and the emperor socialised when the Japanese monarch studied at Oxford University in the 1980s with the two men enjoying opera and fly fishing together.
Charles hosted a state banquet for his guests on Tuesday evening and in a speech praised the close bond between the UK and Japan, and told the emperor their “shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law” were more important than ever.
As the state limousine carrying Japan’s head of state and his wife pulled away, the King and Queen waved them goodbye.
Later the emperor will travel to Windsor Castle to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II at her final resting place, the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel in the grounds of the royal residence.
The initial invitation for the emperor to make a state visit to the UK was made by the late Queen but the trip was postponed due to the Covid pandemic and Elizabeth died in September 2022.
The emperor will also visit Kew Gardens in west London where he will visit the temperate house and learn about the Millennium Seed Bank project and a Bonsai sculpture installation.
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