Royal Family latest news: King Charles and Queen Camilla to greet Japan's Emperor Naruhito at start of three-day state visit

To follow the first day of the Japanese state visit to the UK as King Charles and Queen Camila host Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, watch our stream below:

More photographs have now emerged of soldiers making their way to Horse Guards Parade for the ceremonial welcome of Japan's Emperor and Empress.

These images show members of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards marching in unison.

A full-scale military rehearsal was held yesterday ahead of the state visit

These images show soldiers from the Coldstream and Irish Guards march towards Horse Guards Parade.

The troops are as taking part in the ceremonial welcome for the state visit of the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

Horse Guards Parade is 'looking fantastic' ahead of the ceremonial welcome for Japanese Emperor Naruhito later this mornng.

The Japanese rulers have certainly picked a fine week for a UK state visit with the country bathed in sunshine and enjoying soaring temperatures.

Don't forget to follow our live blog and the Daily Mail's Royal Editor Rebecca English who will be reporting in London.

We will bring you the action as soon as we can.

The first pictures of police officers on horseback riding on The Mall have emerged as we await the start of the Japanese Emperor's three-day state visit.

The Prime Minister is unlikely to be campaigning on Tuesday, as he is attending a ceremonial welcome for the Emperor and Empress of Japan, in addition to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in the evening.

Rishi Sunak will be joined at the Horse Guards Parade this morning by Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron and Home Secretary James Cleverly.

Lord Cameron will then host a business event with Japanese investors, trade partners, and some of the top UK businesses with operations in Japan.

Mr Sunak will attend the banquet alongside Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

Pictures from outside Buckingham Palace show royal watchers are starting to fill up The Mall as we await the arrival of the Japanese Emperor

MailOnline's Josie Goodbody reports Japan's first piece of Western-made jewellery, the Meiji Tiara, could well get an outing this week.

Because on Saturday, Emperor Naruhito of Japan and his wife Empress Masako arrived in Britain for a state visit that formally begins today.

And although Empress Masako came wearing a pearl necklace and similar earrings, she has a host of imperial jewels that she could call on for tonight's State Banquet.

Read Josie's report here:

The Mall has been decked out with British and Japanese flags ahead of the start of Emperor Naruhito's state visit which starts this morning.

Rehearsals were carried out yesterday ahead of the ceremonial welcome on Horse Guards Parade.

See the video below:

Before we look ahead to the state visit, let's take a look at the Japanese monarchy and note the similarities it has with the British one.

Japan's monarchy has faced turmoil in recent years and is grappling with running as a slimmed-down entity.

The immediate succession crisis was resolved in 2006 when the Emperor's younger brother and heir, Fumihito, now 58, had a son, Hisahito, in 2006.

But there is still a shortage of males and the women in the family lose their royal status when they marry commoners.

In 2021, Fumihito's daughter Mako became the latest in a succession of princesses to lose her title when she wed a commoner. It has led to a shortage of working royals in Japan.

Craig Prescott, a constitutional expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, believes there is much for both monarchs to compare and contrast this week.

'I think they are both grappling with, in a sense, the weight of history. I think there is a lesson for the British monarchy about being too small a royal family,' he said.

On Friday, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will return to their former colleges at Oxford University in a series of private engagements before leaving Britain.

Between 1983 and 1986, Naruhito studied 18th century commerce on the River Thames as a postgraduate.

While Masako, by then a young diplomat, studied international relations at Balliol College between 1988 and 1990.

He and Masako, who met in 1986, both did a bit of rowing and played other sports while at Oxford and developed a love of the historic city - particularly Christ Church Meadow - and the Cotswolds while there.

For all the latest on the Japanese state visit, follow The Daily Mail's Royal Editor who will be across events throughout the day.

We will also be providing live coverage with all the latest news, pictures and videos right here on this blog.

We earlier brought you the programme for the first day of the official Japanese state visit which will start in the next hour, but what about the rest of the week?

Here's a schedule of upcoming events

Wednesday, June 26

Thursday

Friday

Ahead of his UK state visit, Emperor Hirohito recalled how he bonded with King Charles over fishing after spending time at the Royal Family's Highland retreat.

The two men bonded back in 1984 when Naruhito (pictured in 1983), the grandson of the then Emperor Hirohito, was a student at Oxford.

At a news conference last week, Naruhito also recalled Charles teaching him to fly-fish in the River Dee beside Balmoral Castle.

MailOnline reporter Ellen Coughlan writes Japan's Emperor Naruhito regrets his long-awaited official state visit could not be made while Queen Elizabeth was alive.

Naruito, 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.

Read Ellen's report here:

The King and Queen will feature prominently today as they welcome the Japanese Emperor and Empress on Horse Guards parade before a carriage procession up The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

The King will host a lunch and a state banquet at the Palace on Tuesday.

The Prince of Wales will also take part in the visit, greeting the emperor and empress at their hotel on behalf of the King before the ceremonial welcome.

William, who is president of the Football Association, is also expected to be at the state banquet but it clashes with England's last group game in the Euro 2024 tournament.

The Princess of Wales, who returned briefly to the spotlight at Trooping the Colour last weekend despite her ongoing cancer treatment, is not expected to take part in the visit.

And it is confirmed Princess Anne will miss the state banquet after suffering minor injuries to her head and concussion when she was struck by a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate.

The Mall has been decked out with British and Japanese flags ahead of the start of Emperor Naruhito's state visit which starts today.

Rehearsals were carried out yesterday with security tight surrounding Buckingham Palace.

Take a look at these photographs as preparations were in full swing.

Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako touched down in the UK on Saturday, four years after their state visit was put on hold because of the pandemic.

The couple enjoyed a warm welcome as they arrived at Stansted Airport for the week-long official state visit.

Naruhito, 64, and his wife did attend the Queen's funeral in 2022 - this week he revealed how the late monarch had treated him 'like family' when he'd visited the UK previously - but it's taken four years to re-arrange a state visit.

Read Jo Tweedy's report here:

One unusual aspect of the Japanese state visit is the timing, with the Emperor arriving during a general election campaign.

There were no incoming state visits at the same time as a general election campaign during Elizabeth II's 70-year reign.

In 2017, a Spanish state visit by King Felipe VI was quickly rescheduled - after an agreement between the late Queen and King Felipe - because the date clashed with a snap election in the UK.

A Palace spokesman said this week's programme had been 'slightly adapted', adding: 'As a general principle, it has of course been adapted as a result of the current pre-election period of sensitivity.'

Missing elements appear to be the usual Downing Street talks with the Prime Minister, a speech to the Palace of Westminster by the visiting head of state, and meetings with opposition leaders.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer are expected to take a break from the campaign trail to attend the state banquet at Buckingham Palace, just over a week before the general election.

The Princess Royal will miss tonight's state banquet after suffering minor injuries to her head and concussion when she was struck by a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate.

Anne, a skilled horsewoman who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, was walking on her Gloucestershire estate on Sunday evening when the incident happened and after being given medical care at the scene, she was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by road for tests, treatment and observation.

The 73-year-old will miss several engagements this week, including the state banquet and an overseas tour to Canada, which was due to start this weekend.

The princess's accident is the latest health upset to the hit the royal family this year, with the King and the Princess of Wales both being diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for cancer, and Sarah, Duchess of York, having skin cancer.

Read more here:

Emperor Naruhito (pictured) and Empress Masako will begin the start of their three-day state visit to the UK in a trip intended to reinforce relations between the two nations.

Here's what we can expect today:

The Daily Mail's Royal Correspondent Richard Palmer wrote the following curtain raiser ahead of the start of today's state visit

Amid all the splendour and pageantry of a state visit this week, King Charles and Japan's Emperor Naruhito will reignite a friendship forged over fly-fishing and barbecues at Balmoral.

It will be a chance to catch up and help promote the relationship between their two modern countries and perhaps compare notes on how their two ancient but 'slimmed-down' monarchies operate in the 21st century.

The two men bonded back in 1984 when Naruhito, the grandson of the then Emperor Hirohito, was a student at Oxford and spent a few days at the Royal Family's Highland retreat.

Read more here:

Hello and welcome to MailOnline's live coverage of the Royal Family as the King and Queen prepare to welcome Japan 's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the start of their three-day state visit.

There will be plenty of pomp and pageantry on display culminating in a state banquet tonight at Buckingham Palace.

We will provide you with news, pictures and videos from throughout the day plus all the latest from Princess Anne who was admitted to hospital with injuries caused by a horse.