Princess Aiko thrives during a challenging royal first as she visits the earthquake-struck Ishikawa Prefecture

The first day of the engagement saw Princess Aiko travel to Nanao City, where she met with residents living in a temporary accommodation assembly hall following the quake. Dressed in an elegant grey blazer and trousers, the young royal was able to balance high spirits and poignant empathy in equal measure, an impressive feat considering this was her debut visit to a disaster-struck area. Talking to a group of elderly residents, Aiko implored them: ‘please take care of yourself.’