Royal family RECAP: Queen Maxima receives beret amid military training, Japan hosts state dinner, and more

© Alamy Stock Photo

This week, 19-year-old Prince Hisahito of Japan marked a major royal milestone by attending his very first imperial banquet. The event took place at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, where a lavish diplomatic dinner was held in honor of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. His debut comes four years after his older sister, Princess Mako, relinquished her royal titles.

Currently a second-year biological sciences student at the University of Tsukuba, the hardworking prince reportedly headed straight to the banquet after his daily classes concluded. Despite the high-profile nature of the evening, the future monarch looked perfectly at ease as he toasted the guests.

As the son of Crown Prince Akishino and nephew to Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito is second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Having recently celebrated his coming-of-age ceremony, he is the first male Japanese royal to reach adulthood in 40 years, signaling a new chapter as he steps up his public duties.

The Japanese royal family captured the attention of the world when the former Princess Mako, Hisahito’s older sister, renounced her royal titles in order to marry a commoner.

© Getty Images

Prince William and Princess Kate's London residence is about to get a major security upgrade. According to the Daily Mail, the Crown Estate is moving to replace "outdated" security systems near the couple's home at Kensington Palace. Planning permission has reportedly been requested to set up temporary vehicle barriers, with an eye toward implementing permanent, long-term "hostile vehicle mitigation" defenses in the future.

Though the Prince and Princess of Wales permanently relocated their main family base to Windsor in 2022, they still keep Apartment 1A - a spacious 20-room property inside Kensington Palace - as their official base for visits to London. The historic estate has seen plenty of updates lately, including recent restoration work on its famous golden gates.

Nowadays, the family of five resides in their "forever home," Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom, Grade II-listed Georgian property in Windsor. 

It was recently revealed that Prince William pays £307,500 in annual rent for the estate where he lives with Kate and their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight. This comes in contrast to several other members of the royal family, who pay only nominal "peppercorn" rent for their sprawling estates.

© Getty Images

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway is cutting his upcoming official trip to Japan short to return to his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose health has severely declined.

A statement from the Royal Palace confirmed the schedule change, stating: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is shortening his official trip to Japan by one day due to the health situation of Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess."

While the heir to the Norwegian throne will still travel to Tokyo to meet with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako and attend a state dinner, his planned visit to the city of Hachinohe has been cancelled.

The decision follows a worrying health update from Haakon regarding his wife, who has been battling chronic pulmonary fibrosis since 2018. Speaking candidly to local media, the Crown Prince shared: "The Crown Princess is seriously ill, and I think she has gotten a bit worse lately. So I am worried about her health."

He added that while daily oxygen therapy has provided some relief, but things remain difficult. "These six months have gone pretty well, I think. But there are different phases. So we just have to try to solve it as best we can."

Crown Princess Mette-Marit remains on the transplant list for a new set of lungs, though the Crown Prince noted that the exact timeline for the procedure remains "a medical question."

Signing off from the London office and handing over to Rebecca Lewis in Los Angeles to bring you all the latest royal updates, live as they happen.

Make sure to follow our social channels for all the latest news! 

Hello! I'll be taking us through for the rest of the evening, as we look back over the last week of royal news and features.

Now, I love a romance story as much as the next person, but the cynical part of me also quite enjoys this new feature from Matthew Moore, who has taken a look at beloved royal couples who never made it down the aisle.

From Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy, to Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend, these are the royal couples who were never meant to be...

Next week will see Peter Phillips' wedding to Harriet Sperling, and King Charles and Queen Camilla are among the expected guests. 

© Getty Images

But as Eleanor Dye writes, if their Majesties do attend, they will have a very busy day in store as they are also planning to attend the Derby Day at Epsom Downs racecourse that day - for the first time as monarchs.

The royal couple is joint patrons of The Jockey Club, which owns and runs the Surrey-based racecourse, succeeding the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was patron for 68 years before her death.

Find out more about their busy weekend here.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was cheered on by her family on May 29, as she received her beret during military training as a reservist with the Royal Netherlands Army. 

© Ministerie van Defensie

As a reservist, Máxima, 54, will not be assigned to a specific branch, regiment, or corps but will fulfill a general and broad role within the Royal Netherlands Army. 

The news of her decision to join the Ministry of Defence part-time as a reservist in the army, came in February 2026. The Royal House said at the time that the Queen had chosen to enlist as "our safety can no longer be taken for granted". 

© Ministerie van Defensie

The age limit for appointment as a reservist in the army is 55, with the Palace revealing that this "played a role" in her decision. 

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium has graduated from her two-year master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School – but royal fans have been curious which moniker she used to receive her diploma. 

© Photonews via Getty Images

Journalist Wim Dehandschutter shared a video of the moment the Princess collected her diploma, revealing if Elisabeth used the French family name, the Dutch family name, or her royal title.

Read our full report here.