Emperor Naruhito plans to attend Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral in Britain, Japanese government sources said Saturday, in a rare move for the monarch who traditionally does not make appearances at funerals at home or abroad.
The sources said that depending on her health, Empress Masako, who has long been battling a stress-induced illness, is also expected to attend the ceremony. According to local media in Britain, the funeral is expected to take place around Sept. 19.
Following the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 on Thursday, the imperial couple, as well as Former Emperor Akihito and his wife, former Empress Michiko, began observing three days of mourning from Friday, the Imperial Household Agency said Saturday.
Japanese emperors do not traditionally attend funerals, and Emperor Akihito became the first to do so when he and his wife traveled to Belgium for the funeral of King Baudouin in 1993.
Crown Prince Fumihito is expected to attend the Sept. 27 state funeral in Tokyo of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the emperor's stead.
Emperor Naruhito on Friday praised the queen for her life of service, saying in a statement conveyed by the agency, "I express my heartfelt sorrow and deep sadness."
"From my heart, I declare my gratitude and esteem for her many achievements and contributions," the emperor said in the message, in which he also recalled his warm meetings with the queen while studying at Oxford.
The emperor and empress had planned to go to Britain in 2020 for their first overseas trip following his accession to the Chrysanthemum Throne in May 2019, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The royal and imperial families share a deep bond, and the then Crown Prince Akihito attended Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation in London on behalf of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, who himself later visited Britain in 1971.
In 1998, the then Emperor Akihito made his first visit as monarch to Britain. He also attended the queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 to commemorate her 60th year on the throne.
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