“My college neighbor turned out to be a prince.”

It’s always a lottery who you end up living with at university.

For Keith George, an American student at Oxford, England, in 1983, he turned out to be the future emperor of Japan.

The crown prince, now Emperor Naruhito, lived in the next room at Merton College.

“It was a surprise, but we became instant friends,” Keith says from West Virginia, where he now works as an attorney.

More than 40 years later, Emperor Naruhito returned to his former student haunts during a state visit to the United Kingdom.

Keith, a native of the Appalachian Mountains and a fan of playing music bluegrassgave the young Japanese prince the opportunity to experience a life different from that of the Imperial House.

There were no titles or standing ceremonies. “The first day he asked me to call him Hiro”Keith says.

Having a royal in the next room also meant meeting the prince’s security staff, who had to accompany them if they went to a bar or restaurant.

“I became good friends with them, too,” Keith says.

The Emperor of Japan and the American lawyer have kept in touchand even, as the crown prince, visited Keith and his family in Morgantown, West Virginia.

As a thank you for hosting the prince in their home, Keith’s mother and father were invited to a state dinner in Washington, DC, with Ronald Reagan and George H Bush.

But what Keith remembers is the brief chance at an independent life that being a student gave the emperor.

“One of the greatest luxuries we can have is personal freedom”says Keith.

Even in the details, “like going to eat pizza when he felt like it.”

In the United Kingdom, the crown prince could move relatively anonymously and Keith assures that His real friend “loved” being able to go out so casually and without attracting attention.

“He loved the scenery around Oxford, he enjoyed the pubs and restaurants,” Keith recalls.

“He loved to laugh and he wanted to have a real student experience,” she says, recalling their friendship.

That included the Japanese prince playing the viola alongside the band. bluegrasss of the American student.

During the state visit, the red carpet has been rolled out for Emperor Naruhito, including a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

“I knew who he was, I respected him, but our friendship had more to do with who he was as a person. He was not my friend [sólo] because at that time he was the crown prince. He was authentic“Keith said.

Now both in their 60s, Keith would like his daughters to meet each other and continue their friendship into the next generation.

And he fondly remembers such a lasting and unexpected connection.

“I can say that I am a very good friend of the Emperor of Japan.“.

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