King Charles makes Pokémon joke as he delivers speech during Japanese state banquet
26 June 2024, 13:30 | Updated: 26 June 2024, 13:34
King Charles joked about Pokémon during his speech at the Japanese state banquet on Tuesday evening.
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Charles and Camilla welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to the UK earlier in the day, marking the start of their three-day visit.
The trip, which was previously postponed due to the pandemic, was "slightly adapted" due to the upcoming General Election.
On Tuesday evening, the leaders gathered for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, with Camilla seen stepping out wearing the King's new Family Order for the first time.
Delivering a speech at the banquet, Charles made references to Hello Kitty and Pokémon - two popular Japanese cartoon characters.
He reflected on times he had been fly fishing with the emperor, saying: "I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing.
"The Pokémon phrase ‘gotta catch ’em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational."
He also wished a “very happy” 50th birthday to Hello Kitty.
“Even our hobbies have shared roots,” the King went on to say, explaining that British walkers helped introduce mountain climbing in Japan.
“This is a passion which many British and Japanese now have in common – not least, at an individual level, Your Majesty and myself.”
Among the guests at the banquet were PM Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Keir Starmer and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey.
The emperor and his wife arrived at Stansted Airport on Saturday and carried out several private engagements before meeting the royals.
They visited the Thames Flood Barrier on Monday, with the river being one of the emperor's life-long passions.
As a student at Oxford University in the 1980s, his research focused on water transport on the River Thames in the 18th century.
He went on to write a memoir in the 90s called The Thames And I.
