Is Japan's royal family facing a crisis?
Discover more about the threat faced by the world's oldest monarchy
Hello, Royal Clubbers, it’s Millie here. For all those who missed the excitement of the US state visit last week, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh kept the momentum going this week with their five day visit to Japan.
The Japanese imperial family is the oldest continuous monarchy in the world, going back an incredible 1,400 years. Historically, Japanese royalty was deified, claiming divine descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu, but today they retain little of their original power.
I spoke to Chris Harding, cultural historian, expert in all things Japan and author of Chris Harding’s Japan on Substack, to find out more about the imperial family and discover the greatest threat facing the royals today.