In a colourful ceremony Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband Prince Consort Henrik were given a warm welcome to Japan. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko greeted the royals - who were paying an eight-day official visit - amid a sea of schoolchildren waving both nations' flags.
The 64-year-old monarch was elegant in a pale blue-grey suit, matching hat and pearl necklace as she began her trip to Tokyo on Monday. Here, at a red carpet ceremony outside the state guesthouse of Akasaka Palace, the queen conducted an inspection of Japanese troops while versions of both the Danish and Japanese national anthem played.
On Tuesday the royals visited victims of the typhoons and earthquakes that rocked the island nation last month, sharing their condolences with families affected by the tragedies.
As part of their busy schedule they will also be appointing a Japanese goodwill ambassador between the two countries, to mark next year's bicentennial birth of Hans Christian Andersen. And the queen, who is an acclaimed artist, will also accompany her hosts on a special visit to central Japan to see traditional handicrafts.
The royal visit was initially planned for April 2003, but had to be postponed after it was discovered that the Danish queen required back surgery.
|
)
)
