King Charles III organized a great banquet in honor the three-day state visit of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Thursday — where he got a few laughs as he shared a tribute to some of Japan’s cultural touchstones: Pokémon, Hello Kitty and Hayao Miyazaki.
It was during one of these unexpected references that the cameras captured Prince William giving his father a sort of smile that left people reeling from his seemingly uncomfortable half smile.
During his speech welcoming and praising the Emperor, Charles recounted his past experiences with Naruhito – including, apparently, fishing together.
“I’m just sorry to report that I haven’t had better luck with more recent fishing attempts,” Charles shared, as he read his prepared speech. “The phrase Pokémon ‘gotta catch ’em
all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, an aspiration.”
It was during this surprising Pokémon reference that William seemed to overcome many different feelings at once – from laughter to mild embarrassment to surprise – and the internet quickly took notice.
“King Charles mentioning Pokemon mid-speech was not on my 2024 bingo card,” joked one user on X (formerly Twitter). Another user joked: “Loved #PrinceWilliam’s reaction to #KingCharles’ #Pokemon joke at the Japanese State Banquet.”
Charles also made special mention of another Japanese cultural export, sharing: “It was a pleasure to learn about the British stories behind certain Japanese cultural icons.”
“Perhaps you will allow me to mention one individual in particular who turns fifty this year. Raised in a London suburb with her twin sister, a self-made entrepreneur worth billions of dollars and a UNICEF Children’s Ambassador on top of all that. So I can only wish a happy birthday to… Hello Kitty!” Charles declared happily.
Charles’ references to his grandchildren were a particular delight for some fans. He is the grandfather of Prince William’s three children with Kate Middleton – Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 – as well as for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children – Archie, 5 and Lilibet, 3.
ET spoke to royal expert Katie Nicholl in May.which explained why Charles – who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year – is desperate to reconnect with Harry and rebuild his relationship with his grandchildren, who currently live in California.
“He really wants to be close to his son again and see more of his grandchildren, who he has barely seen since they were born,” Nicholl said.
“Harry has said he hoped that given the adversity of his father’s illness, he would be reunited with his family. That is clearly his intention,” she added. “My understanding is that the King also wants to rekindle his relationship with his son. He loves his son. He is a very compassionate man. I think he certainly wants to move on.”
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