The Duke of Cambridge was dressed as a famous samurai warrior during a visit to the set of a long-running historical drama in Japan.

Prince William visited a Tokyo studio where a popular costume drama is filmed – dressing as a samurai who unified the country in the 16th century.

However, he stopped short of wearing a samurai wig, saying his brother Prince Harry would “never let me forget it”.

He is on a week-long visit to Japan and China to promote UK relations.

The duke dressed in the costume of samurai warlord, Toyotomi Hideyoshi – who features in the Japanese historical drama Taiga – during the visit to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.

He wore a glittering helmet, a red and gold tunic and carried a replica samurai sword.

Ready For Action

As staff put the helmet on his head, Prince William joked: “I feel there should be a sword in my hand as well.”

Once dressed, he looked into a mirror and asked: “How do I look?” before adding: “I feel ready for action.”

Before dressing up, he watched three geisha actresses dance, while another played a three-stringed instrument, called a shamisen.

Mao Inoue, the female star of Hana Moyu, who plays a character called Humi Sugi in the popular television programme, presented the duke with a bouquet of flowers and a hand-made wooden toy for Prince George.

The duke began his four-day visit to Japan – his first visit to the country – on Thursday by taking part in a traditional tea ceremony in the capital Tokyo.

The last time a senior member of Britain’s royal family visited Japan was in 2008, when the duke’s father, Prince Charles, came with his wife Camilla.