Like Harry and Meghan Markle: Japanese Princess Mako gave up millions and her royal title for love

The princess mako, daughter of the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and current heir to the throne, will soon marry her commoner fiancé despite a financial litigation facing his mother, and the couple plan to live in the United States, the Japanese press reported Thursday.

Mako and Kei Komuro hope to get married this year without some of the traditional imperial ceremonies, a very rare choice in Japan. They will also refuse a dowry of more than $ 1.3 million which is generally attributed to women of the imperial family who give up their title to marry outside of royalty, according to local media.

The versions have not been officially confirmed, but they appear in most headlines in the Japanese press. They also report that the couple are planning to start a new life together in the USA, which has led many to compare them to the prince Harry from Great Britain and Meghan Markle.

The 29-year-old princess, daughter of Nahurito’s younger brother, Prince Fuhimito Akishino, announced in 2017 her engagement to Kei Komuro, also 29, a lawyer he met in college. Under Japanese Imperial Succession Rules, Mako will lose his royal title by marrying a commoner.

Besides, Komuro has been extensively investigated by the press over allegations his mother borrowed money from a former fiance so that his son could study at Fordham University in New York, and he never returned it. After the tabloids reported the complaint, a fury erupted around the young couple, who decided to postpone the wedding, previously announced for 2018.

Komuro then moved to the United States to study law, a decision considered as a form of appease negative attention.

Prince Akishino said last year that supports her daughter’s marriage, but that she needs to gain the support of the Japanese public. “I approve of them getting married. If that’s what they really want, then I think it’s something that I should respect as a parent.Fumihito declared.

In November 2020, Fumihito and his wife, Princess Kiko, were officially declared first in line in a much more austere ceremony to comply with the new health regulations and which had been postponed for seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As second in the sequence is Fumihito’s eldest son Prince Hisahito, 14. The third is Emperor Naruhito’s uncle Prince Hitachi, 84.

Naruhito’s 18-year-old daughter Aiko and the Crown Prince’s two daughters Mako and Kako, they are not aligned because they are women.

Princess Kako has started to take the place of her older sister, Mako, as the latter will cease to have the noble title once she marries Kei Komuro., the former bank employee and aspiring lawyer, who does not belong to the royal family.

The princess was very popular, which gave her the status of it-girl and the nickname of the Japanese Kate Middleton.

(With information from AFP)

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