Lavish state banquet menu enjoyed by King, Queen, Japanese monarch and Prince William revealed
King Charles welcomed the Emperor and Empress of Japan to Britain with the full splendour of a Buckingham Palace state banquet.
Held in the ballroom, with the horseshoe table arrangement beautifully decorated, guests sat down for lavish dinner before enjoying speeches from Naruhito and Charles - who made a surprising pop culture joke. The starter was poached Scottish langoustines presented on a nest of cucumber with basil mousse and chilled tomato consommé.
The main course was a baked fillet of Cornish turbot with herb butter wrapped in lettuce, Sorrel cream sauce and a selection of summer vegetables. It was accompanied by creamed potato and spinach croquette and a salad of green beans and quail eggs.
Table arrangement at the State Banquet for Japanese royals State Visit
And for dessert, guests enjoyed an ice cream bomb with a peach sorbet insert, on a bed of compressed peaches. Meanwhile, the carefully selected wine list consisted of Coates and Seely Brut Reserve NV, Kumeu River, Hunting Hill Chardonnay 2016, Château Angludet, Margaux 2014 and Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rose NV.
The state dinner was the culmination of the first day of the Emperor and Empress's state visit, which officially began with a ceremonial greeting on Horse Guards Parade.
Naruhito and his wife Masako brought symbolic gifts for their royal hosts; a black lacquerware box for the King and a brocade handbag for the Queen, along with a framed photo of the Emperor and Empress.
According to the BBC, 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, meanwhile, gave his guests a pair of silver and gold beakers and 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.
King Charles and Emperor Naruhito of Japan laughing together during the State Banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace
Despite the formality of the State Dinner, it was a warm affair. Charles and Naruhito's relationship goes back a number of years, long before each ascended the throne.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the Emperor reflected on his time in the UK in the 1980s and his many informal meetings with Charles and his late parents.
"I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue and Prince Philip showing me around by driving a carriage himself," he said.
Naruhito - who, like his wife, studied at Oxford - also revealed that King Charles, then Prince of Wales, taught him fly fishing but admitted "neither of us had success". The Emperor added: "I was welcomed with warmth as if I were their family member."
Given that close connection, Naruhito has requested a visit to the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II during his stay.
The late Queen was laid to rest at St George's Chapel in Windsor following her death in September 2022 and the Emperor has said he wishes to lay his own wreath there.
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