Duchess Sophie had a delightful time with Japanese children during her recent diplomatic trip.
During her four-day diplomatic mission to Japan with Prince Andrew on behalf of the British Royal Family, the Duchess of Edinburgh joined a children’s tea party at the 2025 Expo, the world fair, in Osaka, reported The Telegraph.
Sharing smiles with the kids, King Charles’s sister-in-law chatted with them over finger sandwiches and beautifully decorated cakes.
Introducing the children, Siu, Yuno, and Luha, to the scone – a traditional British delicacy – the Duchess questioned, “Do you know what this is?”
“A scone (rhymes with gone). Let me show you,” she added before taking each child’s scone, cutting them in half, and topping with Rodda’s clotted cream and strawberry jam.
Delighted with the British treat, the kids beamed at Sophie and gave her a double thumbs-up.
The heartfelt visit came on the fourth and final day of the visit and as Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie wrapped up their trip, the couple reflected on representing the UK abroad.
“I think we’ve got a lot to celebrate in what we have created,” stated Sophie of the UK pavilion at the expo.
She continued, “I think a lot of people’s perceptions of what we’ve done, or where their mobile phone comes from, the origination of the phone or the worldwide web... I should imagine every child in their own country probably thinks it’s their own country that invented the worldwide web. But no, it was Great Britain.”
Acknowledging the importance to highlight the collective efforts of both Japan and the UK in maintaining strong bilateral relation, the Duchess of Edinburgh said, “It is a great showcase. A million people are now more knowledgeable about our close ties.”
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh concluded their trip to Japan on Monday, September 22, 2025.
