Samuel Chatto, Princess Margaret’s grandson, makes rare public appearance in support of Charles III

The state visit by Japan’s emperor and empress comes at a turbulent time for the royal family. With Princess Anne in hospital, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton continuing her chemotherapy treatment, and a general election shortening the official timetable, King Charles III has gone to great lengths to ensure that the Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masaka can enjoy a proper royal spectacle at the Buckingham Palace dinner this week.

Fortunately, the king was able to turn to a roster of younger royals, one of whom shares a connection to Japan almost as deep as Charles’s: Samuel Chatto, the eldest son of Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel Chatto. Sam, a ceramist trained under the Japanese porcelain master Yagi Akira, will no doubt have listened attentively, during a dinner of langoustines and Elizabeth apples, as the king celebrated the visit of his old friend Emperor Naruhito, whose thesis defended at Oxford University is held in Charles’s library at Highgrove.

Indeed, earlier this year, the 27-year-old artist was spotted studying the art of pottery in Japan. In a clip posted to social media, Samuel carefully molds a piece of clay, carefully observing how he works the wet material into a bowl. The video was reportedly filmed in Sasama, Japan. Artist Kazuaki Sakuma shared the clip on Instagram, writing, “All you can hear in this studio is the birds singing. A tea tree about to turn into a sweet butterfly before my eyes. And the London artists spinning the sounds.”

So there’s no doubt the Edinburgh University graduate will have had plenty to chat about with Japanese guests this week as he accompanied Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince William to the diplomatic dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Samuel’s mother, Lady Sarah, is the only daughter of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. His brother David, formerly Viscount Linley, inherited their father’s title upon his death. Both Lady Sarah and her brother enjoyed close relationships with Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh and their four children. The Queen was even described as a “surrogate mother” to Lady Sarah following the death of Princess Margaret.