When your uni neighbour turns out to be a prince

More than 40 years later, Emperor Naruhito is going back to his old student haunts while on a state visit to the UK.

Keith, from the Appalachian mountains and who liked to play bluegrass music, gave the young Japanese prince a chance to see a different life to the Imperial Household.

There were no titles or standing on ceremony. “He asked me the first day to call him Hiro,” says Keith..

Having a royal in the room next door also meant getting to know the prince’s security detail, who had to tag along if they were going to the pub or a restaurant.

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

The Emperor of Japan and the American lawyer have stayed in touch – including the crown prince visiting Keith and his family in Morgantown, West Virginia.

As thanks for putting up the prince in their house, Keith’s mum and dad were invited to a state dinner in Washington DC, with Ronald Reagan and George H Bush.