As the Sonno Joi Movement (the movement advocating reverence for the Emperor and the expulsion of foreigners) mounted in Kyoto, along with the various other people including Imperial Prince Asahiko Kuninomiya (later called Imperial Prince Asahiko), Nariyuki was regarded as a part of the kobu-gattai (integration of the Imperial Court and the Shogunate) (pro-shogunate) faction.
京都の地で尊王攘夷運動が高まりを見せると、久邇宮朝彦親王（のちの朝彦親王）などとともに、公武合体（親幕）派と目される。