How Japan's Emperor never got the chance to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, who treated him 'like family' when he was a student, after Covid stopped 2020 state visit Japanese leader and his wife arrived in sunshine at Stansted Airport on Saturday Trip had originally been planned for 2020 - but Covid stopped the state visit READ MORE: Emperor Naruhito of Japan admits his family is running out of heirs By Ellen Coughlan For Mailonline Published: 08:46, 24 June 2024 | Updated: 08:46, 24 June 2024 e-mail View comments Japan's Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako touched down in the UK for a long-awaited official state visit on Friday- however the monarch regretted that they could not make the trip while Queen Elizabeth was alive. The Japanese Emperor, 64, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, and his wife, 60, will spend seven days carrying out private engagements with King Charles and Queen Camilla . However the trip is bittersweet as Naruhito never got the chance to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth, who passed away 8 September 2022, after Covid stopped his planned 2020 state visit.
The Emperor, who attend the Queen's funeral in 2022, revealed how the late monarch had treated him with 'warmth' and 'like family' when he was a student at Oxford University in the 1980s. During his two years studying at Oxford University , the royal, was invited to stay at Balmoral for a couple of days. Emperor Naruhito smiled as he recalled sweet memories of the late Queen, Prince Ph.