Note: the photos in this post are from last November, during the South Korean president’s state visit to the UK. For that visit, Prince William and Kate were put on display and expected to behave as the dignified Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales. Kate showed up in a giant red cape and flashed everyone. There hasn’t been another state visit since then! There was some question about whether a planned state visit for Japan’s Emperor and Empress would go through later this month. Given the dual health crises for King Charles and Kate, and given the upcoming British general election, it felt like the Japanese state visit was on the fence. Well, Buckingham Palace just confirmed that the visit is going ahead with some adjustments, and at no point should we expect to see the Princess of Wales. This is like a blaring advertisement for “Don’t Expect to See Kate Whatsoever In June.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla are preparing for hosting mode! Buckingham Palace announced on June 4 (local time) that the Emperor and Empress of Japan will pay a state visit to the U.K. from June 25 to June 27. Emperor Naruhito, 64, and Empress Masako, 60, will be the guests of King Charles, 75, during the state visit to London, hosted by the monarch and his wife, 75.

The Emperor and Empress of Japan are due to arrive in England on June 22 and conduct a series of private engagements. The state visit will officially begin when Prince William takes on a key role: welcoming the couple at their hotel on June 25. The Prince of Wales, 41, will greet the couple on behalf of his father and travel with them to Horse Guards Parade in London for their ceremonial welcome.

Prince William similarly led the royal welcome with his wife, Kate Middleton, in November 2023 for the state visit of the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Princess Kate, 42, has stayed out of the public eye for most of this year after announcing in March that she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, and it’s unclear if she will participate in the upcoming state visit. Although Kate usually helps host state visits, she was not included in the itinerary. (The Princess of Wales will not take the salute at the Trooping the Colour rehearsal on June 8, Kensington Palace confirmed, and her attendance at King Charles’ birthday parade on June 15 remains unknown.)

King Charles and Queen Camilla will welcome Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to Horse Guards Parade with military pageantry, and the two couples will travel by carriage along The Mall to Buckingham Palace with Prince William.

That night, King Charles and Queen will reconvene with the Emperor and Empress of Japan for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace thrown in their honor. The diplomatic dinners call for a glamorous dress code, and royal women often slip on tiaras, meaning that Queen Camilla may pick a sparkling headpiece from the royal jewelry collection for the evening. Other members of the royal family are also expected to attend.

[From People]

There’s been so much focus on whether Kate will appear at Trooping the Colour (June 15), meanwhile Buckingham Palace is making it clear that Kate will not be seen at all during a state visit one week later. They’re not even playing the “maybe she’ll come out for a state dinner or the official greeting.” I wonder if we’ll still be getting all of those ridiculous reports of “Kate sightings” and assurances that she’s absolutely running errands and out and about. Hm. Also: if there’s a state dinner, you know Rose Hanbury and David Rocksavage are invited.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.