On Jun 27th, Emperor Naruhito, who is on State Visit to U.K. spoke to the press at Kew Gardens, about how he felt at the visit. He said that he is " grateful to King Charles and Queen Camilla for hosting the ceremony, and thanked for King Charles' heartwarming speech. He also mentioned that he went to the tomb of Queen Elizabeth with the thought of heartfelt appreciation.

READ the full transcript of it which is a translation from Japanese ; 

Emoperor ;
It was my great pleasure to have been invited by the British Government to visit the United Kingdom with Masako as a guest of honor. I am very grateful to His Majesty King Charles and Her Majesty Queen Camilla for hosting the welcome ceremony, the horse-drawn carriage parade, and the luncheon and dinner at Buckingham Palace, as we were able to spend a very heartwarming time. 

In addition, I was invited to a dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor of London and the City of London, and to a reception hosted by an Anglo-Japanese friendship organization, and I was very pleased to receive warm words of welcome from so many people and great hospitality.  I was also very pleased to receive a very warm welcome from many people along the roadside who waved to us, as they did during the parade in the horse-drawn carriage, and also when I was in the car.  

It has been 23 years since my last visit to Kew Gardens, and I looked around the place today, and I was very happy to hear that the Millennium Seed Bank has been making progress and contributing to the conservation of biodiversity, as well as to see various precious plants. I also visited the Francis Crick Institute, which is conducting cutting-edge research on cancer treatment and countermeasures against influenza, etc., with Japanese and British researchers involved. I felt that the technology was very cutting-edge. I was also very interested in the fact that the United Kingdom is a country that values the old while at the same time creating something very new. I was also very happy to learn that the United Kingdom has opened its doors to the world and has invited many researchers to come and conduct research. 

Another thing is the Thames Barrier. When I was studying in the United Kingdom, I was doing research on the Thames, and I was studying the "water transportation of the Thames River in the 18th century," and I was very happy to be able to see the Thames Barrier, which was built around the same time I was there. I believe that the Thames Barrier will play an important role as a countermeasure to the problems such as global warming and storm surges that are likely to emerge in the future, and since I am personally involved in measures on water issues and water-related disasters, I think that this visit to the Thames Barrier was very informative in many aspects. 

Q. We have had good weather, and some people were saying you must have brought along fine weather and summer. How did you think about the weather? 

Emperor  :

I had thought that it would rain at some point. I was also under the impression when I studied here that the weather in England was very changeable, so I thought I might encounter rain at some point, but this time I was really blessed with good weather every day. I think that the sunshine and the beauty of flowers, trees, and grasslands made the trip a memorable one. 

 Q How did you feel when you visited the tomb of Queen Elizabeth? 

I was originally invited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to visit the United Kingdom four years ago, but due to the spread of the coronavirus, I was not able to visit at that time, which is truly regrettable.  I met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth when she visited Japan, even though I was still a small child, and when I was studying in the United Kingdom, she invited me to tea at Buckingham Palace. I was also invited to Balmoral Castle in Scotland and to garden parties. I was always treated very well each time, also by the Duke of Edinburgh, and I am grateful from the bottom of my heart.  

This time, I visited the tombs of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and His Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, with the thought of heartfelt appreciation for everything they have done for me. 

Q When you made your speech next to King Charles, you got a reaction from the audience you’re your story about "Doctor Who". How did you feel giving the speech in that solemn atmosphere?

Emperor;

I was happy that everyone laughed. 

Q But your majesty, you would not be nervous at most times? 

I was amazed at the warm atmosphere at the dinner, at Buckingham Palace, and at the Guildhall also, but I made my speech is a very warm atmosphere, so I was able to speak in a relatively relaxed manner. I was very happy to know that everyone was listening to me very attentively, which made me very happy as a speaker.  His Majesty King Charles also gave a wonderful and heartwarming speech, for which I would like to express my sincere gratitude.  

Q How did you feel when the King said, “Okaeri -meaning Welcome Home"? 

Emperor) 

When I first arrived in London this time, I looked at things such as the majestic appearance of historic buildings in London and the River Thames and got the strong impression that I came back to a memorable place.

Amid this situation, I was really happy to hear many people say, "Welcome back," to me. 

Masako also has fond memories of the United Kingdom, so it was a great honor for both of us to be able to be here and stand together at these memorable places. 

As for the royal family, I am very happy to have this opportunity to renew old friendships with His Royal Highness Prince William, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent, all of whom I have known for a long time.  

In any case, we are very happy to have been warmly welcomed by so many people in the United Kingdom, and we sincerely hope that our visit as guests of honor will contribute to the future friendship between Japan and the United Kingdom.