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Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watched their team’s dramatic 2-2 World Cup draw against the Netherlands alongside King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima at Het Oude Loo, the Dutch royal family’s weekend palace, on Sunday. The viewing came during the imperial couple’s official visit to the Netherlands. “Sport strengthens bonds,” read a caption from the Japanese Imperial Household Agency on Instagram with a photo of the two royal couples, all of whom were wearing scarves representing their respective teams.
According to The Japan Times, it was the first time the Japanese royals had watched a World Cup match with another royal family since 2002, when, as crown prince and princess, they attended a Japan-Belgium match at Saitama Stadium alongside then-Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde.
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The Belgian and Japanese royals at Tokyo’s Saitama Stadium at the 2002 World Cup, which was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Naruhito and Masako are scheduled to meet the Belgian royals again next Saturday when their European tour continues to Belgium before returning to Japan on June 26.
Meanwhile, in Texas, one member of the Japanese royal family was in attendance the match: Princess Takamado, the widow of the late Prince Takamado and a first cousin once removed of Emperor Naruhito by marriage, was seen on the telecast at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the match.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have confirmed they will travel to the United States for the Netherlands’ next group stage match against Sweden in Houston on June 20, as well as Curaçao’s opening match against Ecuador in Kansas City the same day. Several other royals are expected to attend matches during the tournament. Per Hola, Spain’s King Felipe will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico on June 26 at the invitation of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Prince William, who serves as Patron of England’s Football Association, has not confirmed his attendance but is widely expected to travel to the U.S. to watch England compete at some point.
However, other RSVPs are less certain. Crown Prince Haakon and his son, Prince Sverre Magnus, had been considering attending the World Cup to support Norway’s first appearance since 1998. But Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s recent health decline has put those plans in question. Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have also declined an invitation from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, according to Swedish media reports.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.