Imperial Honour For Thame Twins

TWO twin sisters from Worminghall, near Thame, had the great honour yesterday of meeting the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
Judith and Laura Merry, who are both students at Lord Williams?s school, Thame, were presented to the Imperial couple, when the royal pair paid a visit to Helen and Douglas Houses in East Oxford, as part of a three day tour of the UK.
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko were welcomed by the hospice?s founder, Sister Frances Dominica, the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Hugo Brunner and members of the care staff who look after young people with life-shortening conditions.
Both Laura and her sister Judith have Genetic Muscular Dystrophy but despite their disability, these delightful girls lead very full lives, including designing and developing their own range of stylish clothes for girls who, like them use wheelchairs to get around.
Their foray into the world of fashion however, is currently on hold as they are revising hard for their A Level exams which begin next week.
The girls had met the Empress before when they visited Japan with the Momiji charity, which is run by Mrs Kidani who went to school with the Empress, and her husband. The girls told Thamenews.Net: ?It was amazing. The Emperor and Empress were so lovely and charming and asked us if we had enjoyed our trip to Tokyo and Kyoto ? they both spoke very good English.?

Both the Merry twins are aiming to go to university after A levels, Laura to Roehampton University, Kingston-Upon-Thames, to study English Literature, and Judith to Keel to study American Studies and International Relations.