Prince William Accidentally Refers To Japanese Food As ‘Chinese’ In Front Of The Japanese Prime Minister
In an unusual slip-up, Prince William accidentally referred to Japanese food as Chinese during the opening of a Japanese cultural center in London. It happened as he sat down with a group of kids at a table to talk about the links between the U.K. and Japan. William asked the kids if they have eaten “much Chinese food,” which he immediately corrected and said “um, Japanese food. Have you had much Japanese food? No? Not too much. Do you like sushi? It’s delicious, it really is yummy.” It’s not a huge deal, since the Japanese prime minister, although present, didn’t appear to notice, according to People. Plus, it was just an honest mistake, which seasoned Prince William rarely makes.
William raved about sushi some more later in the day and also joked around with Japanese chef Akira.
“Thank you very much. My wife and I love sushi. We might have to come down here for lunch when no one else is in… You must get a lot of Japanese visitors here. So do lots of people come in and ask for a burger? That’s what usually happens, doesn’t it?”
The rest of the day seemed to go all right. And when a kid told William that he was tired, the prince sympathized with him, asking him if he’s had a long day too.
Prince William makes huge gaffe by asking kids if they like Chinese food – at opening of JAPANESE cultural centre https://t.co/6KLCCEV0P8
— The Sun (@TheSun) September 13, 2018
And while William and Kate might be fans of sushi, he had a hard time with chopsticks. He noted that “they’re tricky,” which is understandable since it takes practice to get used to them. The same kid that told William that he was tired also said that he didn’t like the chopsticks that he was trying to use, detailed Yahoo News. So at the very least, the prince found a friend at the table that was on the same page as him.
Prince William was in great form at the opening of @japanhouseldn – charming & engaging. But even a royal diplomat can make the odd bloop. Such as asking local schoolchildren at the event to highlight Japanese culture if they had eaten much Chinese food! He quickly recovered tho! pic.twitter.com/72swlvNbk0
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) September 13, 2018
The opening also included a brief message from William, who stated the following.
“This year marks 160 years since we established formal diplomatic relations between our two countries. And standing here now I am delighted to see those relations continue to flourish.”
And while the U.K. and Japan have diplomatic ties, it has recently become complicated thanks to the 2016 Brexit referendum, described Asia Times. It’s noteworthy that Japan is the “largest foreign direct investor in the U.K.,” which actually spans over 1,300 companies. The actual euro amounts are staggering, with Japan’s foreign direct investment being over £40.5 billion in 2015, surpassing China’s FDI by miles, which is £1.8 billion.
