Princess in Love - English Version (Book 1)

Chapter 25 - University + Harry & Meghan (Jan to August 2023)

Buckingham Palace

Queen: Charles Camilla Helena, you are here to represent me on behalf of the royal family but also the country and the British people. Edward, can you describe what you will both be doing during their stay in Japan?

Edward: During the stay of the Dukes of Cornwall and Princess Helena of Cambridge, they will attend the Enthronement Ceremony of Emperor Naruhito and his Empress, the following morning, they will both attend the evening state dinner offered by the new emperor to the members of the royal families who will be present, then the next morning Princess Helena will visit the Tokyo National Museum in the morning, she will have lunch with the new heiress of Japan with some members of the royal families also present, and in the afternoon she will visit the National Museum of Science and Nature together with the Dukes of Cornwall. Finally, at the Ambassador's official residence in Tokyo, they will have dinner hosted by the embassy. And that's all, Your Highnesses.

Queen: Thank you very much, Edward. Does anyone have any questions?

Helena: At the enthronement ceremony, who will we be standing next to?

Queen: Well, we've been told that next to Charles will be the Kings of Belgium, Camilla will be between Charles and you, next to you will be the Heirs to the Danish Crown and their daughter Isabelle, behind you will be King Carl Gustav XVI of Sweden and Crown Princess Victoria, behind Camilla will be the Kings of Jordan and behind Charles will be D. Duarte II King of Portugal and his son Manuel Duke of Porto, in that order. Any other questions?

Camilla: What tiaras will we be wearing in Japan?

Queen: The tiaras you will be wearing are The Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara and Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara, which Princess Helena will wear, and The Vladimir Tiara and The Greville Tiara, which will be worn by you and at both ceremonies, you will be wearing the Order of the Precious Crown.

Charles: What about security?

Queen: According to the information given by the Prime Minister himself, we've assigned 12 security guards to go with you on the trip, but when you arrive you'll be staying in a hotel where many members of the royal families will be staying, and you'll be closely guarded 24 hours a day.

Your medals and honorary orders are also in a separate bag with your names on it.

The private secretary told the Queen that it was time for tea and that at 3 p.m., they would have to leave for London Airport (...). With tea taken, the Queen said goodbye to Charles Camilla and his great-granddaughter Helena, then they went to their cars where they took them to the private suite at London Airport at 4:50 p.m., the royal plane left for a journey of more than 10 hours (...).

After more than 10 hours of travel, the plane landed at Haneda Airport (Tokyo), where they were greeted by some secretaries and sergeants of the Japanese army. Afterward, they went to the Imperial Hotel, where there were hundreds of photographers on arrival. That day, the three members of the British royal family spoke to Frederick Mary and Isabelle (heirs to the Danish crown plus their daughter and also Helena's godparents at her christening), then to Felipe and Letizia (kings of Spain, also Helena's godparents), Pavlos and Marie Chantal (Kings of Greece, after a referendum), Haakon and Mette Marise of Norway (Norwegian heirs and Helena's godparents), among others, then had dinner where the couple went to their room and Helena to hers.

The following day (according to Japanese tradition, after the announcement of death, 6 days later, his funeral will take place), Charles Camilla and Helena, as well as the members of the royal families present and also heads of state, arrived at the place where former Emperor Hirohito's funeral was to take place. Charles Camilla and Helena sat in the 1st row of the 2nd tent (the 1st for the imperial family and the 3rd for senators, congressmen, and guests). The funeral lasted about 1h45m where traditional Japanese music was played by both the prime minister and the new heir to the Japanese imperial throne. After the funeral was over, the ceremony moved on to the Imperial Palace, where Charles Camilla and Helena were received by the new Emperor and Empress.