Royal welcome

The Emperor is carefully shielded from the reality of how most people live. He is in for a terrible shock if he is able to see the UK's shocking decline since he was a student here in 1983.

Couldn't William, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge been provided with a kneeling stool?

I find it odd that the Empress is wearing a face mask, while no one else is.

Ok just a thought.

Yes the face mask is disconcerting in the UK.

Japan not so much.

I've read she wore the face mask in the open carriage because she is allergic to horses.

Roger Gussie, I was actually living in the UK in 1983, and still am, your comment is pure bollocks.

Very pleased to see the Imperial couple could finally make the visit, hope they enjoy themselves an have some time away from formal events. The mask is very odd, if she is allergic to horses as albaleo wrote above, then I would have thought a course of antihistamines a more effective remedy. Otherwise it does make her stand out unnecessarily as absolutely no one else is wearing one and nor is such needed in the UK.

Apologies, Gussie was what auto correct deemed I meant when I typed Gusain!

I find it odd that the Empress is wearing a face mask, while no one else is.

Maybe she feels sick, while no one else does.

Bet Camilla could advise on nasty "in house " bickering that apparently affected the Princess as well.

I find it odd that the Empress is wearing a face mask, while no one else is.

It may be that the culture is different and more emphasis is done on a common effort to reduce spreading of diseases compared with presenting a better face.

Maybe she feels sick, while no one else does.

Or she is trying to prevent getting sick when in an event with many other people being present. Masks work preventing diseases being spread to and from the wearer, that is one of the silver linings of the pandemic, it greatly improved our understanding of how masks work against respiratory pathogens.

It was announced that the Empress suffered greatly from an allergy to horse hairs, so she wore a mask in her carriage.

An emperor and empress rank higher than a king and queen.

Uh-huh, what 'Empire' has Japan actually had when compared to the Empire that was ruled over by the King's & Queen's of Britain?