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Emperor Hirohito and Empress Masako of Japan were welcomed by the Queen and members of the British Royal Family at the start of their State Visit to Britain on this day in 1971, the first Japanese State Visit to Britain after WWII, and the first visit by the Emperor since his Official Visit in 1921, when he still the Crown Prince.
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In the evening, the Queen (wearing the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara and the Order of the Chrysanthemum) and Duke of Edinburgh (in the Order of the Chrysanthemum) hosted a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of the Emperor Hirohito (in the Order of the Garter, restored again after being revoked in 1941) and Empress Nagako (wearing the Meiji Scroll Tiara and the Order of the Precious Crown). The Queen Mother (wearing the Greville Tiara), Prince of Wales (wearing the Order of the Chrysanthemum), Princess Anne (wearing the Halo Scroll Tiara and the Order of the Precious Crown), Princess Margaret (wearing the Poltimore Tiara and the Order of the Precious Crown) and the Earl of Snowdon, the Duke and Duchess of Kent (wearing the Cambridge Sapphire Parure), Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (wearing her Honeysuckle Tiara) and Prince Richard of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (warring her Diamond Palmette Tiara) were also present.
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The following day, after a series of engagements around London, in the evening, Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako hosted a Return Banquet at the Japanese Embassy in London for the British Royal Family, including the Queen (wearing the Modern Sapphire Tiara and George VI Sapphire Parure), Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother (in the Oriental Circlet Tiara), Princess Anne (wearing Princess Andrew’s Meander Tiara), Princess Margaret (in the Lotus Flower Tiara, Greville Pearl Earrings, and Queen Mary’s Diamond and Pearl Riviere), and Lord Snowdon.
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