King Charles will open the doors of Buckingham Palace this evening for an official state banquet held in honour of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan.
The couple, who are the first royals to pay a state visit to Britain following Charles's cancer diagnosis, will sit down for a spectacular dinner in the Ballroom of the palace.
Traditionally, state dinners consist of four courses, served on a table decorated with over 100 candles in silver-gilt candelabra, along with displays of seasonal fruit and striking flower arrangements in silver-gilt centrepieces.
Charles will sit in the centre of the horseshoe-shaped table along with his guests of honour. And there are strict rules that everyone else in attendance must follow - including his heir Prince William.
When guests arrive they will be shown into one of the state rooms before being personally presented to the King. They are then led into the banquet room where they have to check the seating plan and find their seats.
Crucially, every guest must then stand at their place until the monarch comes into the room. Once Charles takes his seat, everyone else can sit down.
Protocol also dictates that during the first course, the King will chat to the guest on his right, and on the second course, will switch to the guest on his left.
Despite the formalities surrounding the state dinner, it is likely to be a warm affair. Emperor Naurhito has previously described being made to feel like 'family' by the British royals.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the Emperor reflected on his time in the UK in the 1980s and his many informal meetings with Charles and his late parents.
"I have very fond memories of the Queen driving a car and inviting me to a barbecue and Prince Philip showing me around by driving a carriage himself," he said.
Naruhito - who, like his wife, studied at Oxford - also revealed that King Charles, then Prince of Wales, taught him fly fishing but admitted "neither of us had success". The Emperor added: "I was welcomed with warmth as if I were their family member."
On Tuesday, the Emperor and Empress were greeted at their hotel by the Prince of Wales before an official welcome ceremony at Horse Guards Parade with the King and Queen.
Later in the day, they attended a lunch hosted by the King, along with extended members of the Royal family, followed by a viewing of Japanese artefacts from the Royal Collection.
It is the first state visit hosted by the King since he was diagnosed with cancer, and the first for the Emperor since he acceded the throne in 2019. He and the Empress flew to the UK for the funeral of Elizabeth II and will pay tribute to her again by visiting her final resting place at Windsor Castle during their stay.
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