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Last week, Rishi Sunak called the general election for the 4th of July. Buckingham Palace promptly announced that they were canceling many of their events for King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Kensington Palace quickly canceled a surprise/unannounced event for Prince William as well. The whole idea is that for a six-week period, the country needs to be focused on the election and the “apolitical” royals cannot and should not do anything which could be construed as partisan or political. Reportedly, Charles, Camilla and William will still go to Normandy for the D-Day anniversary events, and some or all of them will also attend Royal Ascot. Trooping the Colour will still go ahead, I’m sure. But what about the state visit by Japan’s Emperor Narukito? From the Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column:
Rishi’s surprise poll call has given King Charles the jitters over next month’s state visit by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito.
The Prime Minister and the Home and Foreign Secretaries have high-profile roles in the event, which could be deemed inappropriate so close to an election.
Naruhito’s schedule also includes speaking to MPs and peers at Westminster – impossible given that Parliament is about to be dissolved. While details are being amended, officials are also considering alternative dates.
The visit has already been postponed because of the pandemic.
Given that the visit was already postponed once, I imagine it will go ahead but the palace will change some stuff. They’ll probably roll out the red carpet (literally) and do a parade and lean into the military pomp. The state dinner will go ahead. But I bet there will just be a softer, less political focus for the rest of the visit. Like, Charles will take the emperor to a garden show or something. What will also be interesting to see is which royals are brought out to entertain and show the monarchy’s beleaguered soft power. I imagine we’ll see a lot of Prince Edward and Sophie. Anne will be tasked with something. But I bet William won’t be given much of anything to do. Also: I guarantee that if the state dinner goes ahead, the king’s Lord In Waiting will attend. Meaning, David Rocksavage and Rose Hanbury will be there.
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Britain’s King Charles III sits besides Queen Camilla during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. King Charles III sits on a gilded throne and will read out the King’s Speech, a list of planned laws drawn up by the Conservative government and aimed at winning over voters ahead of an election next year.,Image: 820442702, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WPA POOL ALL IN, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Avalon The Princess of Wales, President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace, London, for the state visit to the UK by President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee. Picture date: Tuesday November 21, 2023.,Image: 823485090, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown / Avalon Queen Camilla at a State Banquet for the President and First Lady of South Korea at Buckingham Palace in London on the first day of their State Visit to the United Kingdom. London, UK, 21 November 2023,Image: 823485363, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images.
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Berlin, GERMANY – President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort and First Lady Elke Buedenbender pose with guests at a state banquet at Schloss Bellevue presidential palace in Berlin, Germany. The King and Queen Consort’s state visit to France, which was scheduled for March 26th – 29th, has been postponed due to ongoing mass strikes and protests. Pictured: King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort BACKGRID USA 29 MARCH 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Palace of Westminster during the State Opening of Parliament in the House of Lords, London. Featuring: King Charles III Where: London, United Kingdom When: 07 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**