<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former Japanese <keyword id="12205063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess" source="Orion">princess</keyword> <keyword id="12529988" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mako-komuro" source="Orion">Mako Komuro</keyword> has taken on an unpaid role at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.</li><li>Komuro is not on the Met's payroll but is involved in an exhibition of Japanese scroll paintings.</li></ul><p>Former Japanese Princess Mako Komuro is doing volunteer work at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art less than six months after moving to the city.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/11/national/mako-komuro-met-volunteering/">The Japan Times</a>, Mako is working on one of the Met's <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/843269">exhibitions of Japanese scroll paintings</a> about Ippen, a famed traveling monk who wandered across <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword> during the Kamakura Period.</p><p>Citing a source familiar with Mako's employment, the outlet reported that she was not on the museum's payroll.</p><p>Mako, for one, is familiar with art and curation, having <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-59047632">attended Tokyo's international Christian university, where she obtained a degree in art and cultural heritage</a>. In 2016, the former princess also received a <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/10/b0f4f18d396b-princess-mako-known-as-independent-with-in-depth-knowledge-of-art.html">master's degree in art museum and gallery studies from the University of Leicester</a>.</p><p>She then <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/09/458439cea669-princess-mako-seen-as-independent-friendly.html">went on to work as a special researcher at the University Museum at the University of Tokyo</a>, while juggling her royal duties. </p><p>Mako — the daughter of Japanese Crown Prince Fumihito — made headlines last year when she shed all her titles to marry her college sweetheart, commoner <keyword id="13599753" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kei-komuro" source="Orion">Kei Komuro</keyword>. She endured years of public and media scrutiny following her engagement in 2017, especially after <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-princess-overcomes-money-scandal-ptsd-marry-college-sweetheart-2021-10-21/">a royal scandal emerged over financial disputes that involved Kei Komuro's mother</a> </p><p>In September, Mako <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-mako-will-reject-wedding-payment-to-marry-college-sweetheart-2021-9">announced that she would turn down the $1.3 million dollar payout</a> that she was entitled to upon getting married to Komuro. The couple <a href="https://www.insider.com/japan-princess-mako-marries-boyfriend-gives-up-royal-status-2021-10">married on October 26</a>, and <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/11/93524be84e41-breaking-news-former-princess-mako-husband-to-travel-to-us-sun-source.html">left for New York two weeks later to start a new life together</a>. </p><p>The former princess and her husband have since been spotted <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a38518419/princess-mako-kei-komuro-walking-nyc-photo/">out and about around New York.</a></p><p>Meanwhile, Kei Komuro <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10544443/Princess-Makos-husband-Kei-Komuro-steps-New-York-taking-bar-exam.html#:~:text=Komuro%20first%20sat%20the%20New,second%20attempt%20at%20the%20qualification.">was seen at the exam hall for the New York state bar exam in February</a>, his <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Society/Husband-of-Japanese-former-princess-fails-N.Y.-bar-exam-source">second attempt at attaining the qualification</a>.</p>

Former Japanese princess Mako Komuro is volunteering at New York's Met after renouncing her titles to marry her commoner husband

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kei and <keyword id="12529988" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mako-komuro" source="Orion">Mako Komuro</keyword> boarded a flight Sunday to start their new life together in New York.</li><li>Some Japanese media outlets published information about Kei's family following their engagement.</li></ul><p>On Sunday, former Japanese <keyword id="12205063" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess" source="Orion">princess</keyword> Mako Komuro joined her new husband, Kei, at the Haneda airport in <keyword id="11894426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tokyo" source="Orion">Tokyo</keyword> to board a flight, leaving behind a nation critical of their romance to start a new life in New York together, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-princess-leaves-us-commoner-husband-81157976">the Associated Press reported</a>.</p><p>The pair held a press conference to announce their wedding on October 26 after they submitted their <keyword id="11905352" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="marriage" source="Orion">marriage</keyword> documents, which resulted in the princess losing her royal status, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miFEjFsRPvQ">Nippon TV News 24 Japan reported</a>. </p><p>As Mako Komuro left her palace for the final time, she made a public statement mentioning harsh criticisms that began to pour in when the pair announced their engagement in 2017, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fprincess-mako-of-japan-marries-kei-komuro-loses-royal-status-11635216229">the Wall Street Journal</a> reported. The public's perception of the marriage is underpinned by Japanese views on family relations and women's status that are rooted in feudal practices, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-princess-leaves-us-commoner-husband-81157976">according to AP</a>.</p><p>Although <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword>'s shrinking royal family is believed to be the world's oldest continuous hereditary monarchy, women cannot ascend to the throne and often marry commoners, a decision which requires them to renounce royalty, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/japanese-royal-family-princess-mako-prepares-bow/story?id=80702762">ABC News reported</a>. </p><p>Two months after their engagment announcement, Japanese tabloids reported a financial dispute involing Kei Komuro's mother and her ex-fiancé, which further fueled public disapproval of the marriage and resulted in its temporary postponement, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overcoming-scandal-ptsd-japans-princess-mako-finally-marries-college-sweetheart-2021-10-26/">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>"Incorrect information, for some reason, was treated as if it were unmistakable fact, and I felt frightened at the way these groundless tales spread," Mako Komuro said, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fprincess-mako-of-japan-marries-kei-komuro-loses-royal-status-11635216229">according to the Wall Street Journal</a>. "I had feelings of pain and sadness."</p><p>Kei Komuro followed up his wife's statement, stating, "I love Mako-san. I only have one life to live, and I would like to live it together with the person I love."</p><p>The Imperial Household Agency, a Japanese government agency that oversees matters concerning the Imperial Family, has repeatedly stated that online slander and critical media coverage of the marriage led Mako Komuro to develop complex post-traumatic stress disorder, <a href="https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20211026/p2a/00m/0na/005000c">the Mainichi Shimbun reported</a>.</p>

Former Japanese princess leaves behind her title to marry her college sweetheart and move to the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>During her first public press conference, Princess Aiko of <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword> praised her cousin, <keyword id="12010812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess-mako" source="Orion">Princess Mako</keyword>.</li><li>Aiko, who vowed to fulfill her royal duties, called Mako "kind" and wished her years of happiness.</li></ul><p>Princess Aiko of Japan had nothing but kind words for her cousin Princess Mako during her first public press conference since her coming of age ceremonies in December. </p><p>As the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-aiko-daughter-of-japan-emperor-gender-crown-2021-11">Aiko cannot inherit her father's title</a> due to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/07/national/imperial-family-panel-commoners/">Imperial House Law</a> that dictates only men can ascend onto the Chrysanthemum throne, the Japan Times reported in August after an advisory panel of experts gathered to discuss the issue of female <keyword id="11893529" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="royals" source="Orion">royals</keyword> losing their status after marrying "commoners."</p><p>But speaking at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Thursday, she said she will take on her responsibilities as an adult in the Japanese royal family to the best of her abilities and will <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/03/58c0e892fcb9-princess-aiko-vows-to-fulfill-duties-as-adult-in-1st-news-conference.html">"value each and every one"</a> of the duties that come with royal life, according to Kyodo News. Aiko, 20, also thanked those who supported her along her journey, extending her "heartfelt gratitude."</p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako (left), Princess Aiko (right)." height="960" width="1280" msid="90357568" hostid="261"></div><p>Aiko also answered questions about her first cousin Mako, whose wedding to her non-royal college sweetheart in October sparked controversy among the Japanese public and media. In the four years leading up to the nuptials, Mako's relationship with <a href="https://www.insider.com/japan-princess-mako-marries-boyfriend-gives-up-royal-status-2021-10">her husband, Kei Komuro,</a> was called into question because of reports his mother was involved in a financial dispute with an ex-partner.  </p><p>This led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-wedding.html">insinuations among the public that he was a "gold digger,"</a> according to The New York Times. After tying the knot in a relatively low-key event without a traditional ceremony or reception, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59280707">Mako and Komuro left Japan</a> for New York City in November, the BBC reported.</p><div type="image" title="Members of the imperial household of Japan." height="3667" width="5500" msid="90357570" hostid="261"></div><p>Though Mako's decision to marry Komuro was marred by controversy, and even sparked protests in Tokyo during their wedding, <a href="https://people.com/royals/japans-princess-aiko-praises-her-cousin-princess-mako-who-left-royal-life-to-marry-commoner/">Aiko praised</a> her cousin's character at the conference, calling her "a dependable older sister," People reported. </p><p>"I will always remember with gratitude how she was so friendly and kind to me," Aiko added, according to People. "As her cousin, I pray that she will be happy for many years."</p><p>Aiko also weighed in on what makes the perfect relationship at the conference, according to Kyodo News. Currently a college student, she said it was a long way off for her personally, but said that ideally, it would be a relationship "where both parties can make each other smile by being together."</p><p>But like Mako, if and when Aiko ties the knot, her life as an official member of the Japanese royal family will cease, according to the laws currently in place. </p>

Princess Aiko of Japan wishes her cousin Princess Mako, who left royal life behind, 'many years' of happiness

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Princess Aiko is the only child of <keyword id="12650883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="emperor-naruhito" source="Orion">Emperor Naruhito</keyword> and Empress Masako of <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword>. </li><li>Following her 20th birthday on Wednesday, Aiko will celebrate a series of coming of age ceremonies. </li></ul><p>Princess Aiko, daughter of Japan's emperor, will <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/16/national/princess-aiko-birthday/">officially come of age days after she turns 20</a> on Wednesday, the Japan Times reported.</p><p>The <a href="https://royalcentral.co.uk/asia/japan/date-set-for-coming-of-age-ceremonies-for-princess-aiko-168715/">only child of Emperor Naruhito</a> and his wife Empress Masako, Aiko currently studies Japanese literature at Gakushuin University in Tokyo, according to Royal Central. </p><p>With her birthday falling in the middle of the school week, traditional coming of age ceremonies are set to take place on Sunday, the publication added.</p><div type="image" title="Princess Aiko and her parents, Empress Masako and Emperor Naruhito." height="1650" width="2200" msid="88037475" hostid="261"></div><p>According to Japanese online magazine Nippon.com, <a href="https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2021120100011/japanese-princess-aiko-comes-of-age-at-20.html">Aiko will hold a press conference</a> in March 2022 to speak about reaching adulthood, which under the <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/japan%E2%80%99s-legal-age-of-adulthood-dropping-by-two-years-but-do-teens-understand-what-that-means">current civil code in Japan</a> takes place at the age of 20.</p><p>While the family prepares to celebrate, Aiko's transition into adulthood could serve as a stark reminder of a key issue the Imperial Household of Japan is grappling with: it's shrinking. </p><h2>Princess Aiko's gender means she will never be Empress of Japan</h2><p>Japan's royal family faced perhaps the most scrutiny in its modern history in the leadup to Aiko's cousin <a href="https://www.insider.com/japan-princess-mako-marries-boyfriend-gives-up-royal-status-2021-10">Princess Mako's wedding on October 26</a>. Mako's relationship with her husband, Kei Komuro, was seen as controversial because of reports his mother was involved in a financial dispute with an ex-partner.  </p><p>The case led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-wedding.html">insinuations among the public that he was a "gold digger,"</a> according to The New York Times.</p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako, the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her husband Kei Komuro, a university friend of Princess Mako, poses during a press conference to announce their wedding at Grand Arc Hotel on October 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan" height="4333" width="5778" msid="88037476" hostid="261"></div><p>The Imperial Royal Household still operates under a male-preference primogeniture system, meaning only male heirs can ascend to the Chrysanthemum throne. By contrast, female <keyword id="11893529" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="royals" source="Orion">royals</keyword> in Japan are required under the country's <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/07/national/imperial-family-panel-commoners/">1947 Imperial House Law</a> to renounce their title and position in the family completely when they marry "commoners," The Japan Times previously reported. </p><p>Since World War II, the number of royal family members plummeted from 67 to a mere 17, and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/princess-mako-wedding-thins-the-ranks-of-japan-s-royal-family">only three heirs remain in the line of succession</a>: Mako's father Prince Fumihito, 55, his son Prince Hisahito, 15, and Prince Hitachi, the 85-year-old uncle of the current emperor, Bloomberg reported.</p><div type="image" title="Members of the imperial household of Japan." height="3667" width="5500" msid="88037477" hostid="261"></div><p>The system is endangering the future of the Imperial Household, a crisis felt most by conservatives and those who see the imperial system as "a critical part of national identity," Kumiko Nemoto, professor of management at the School of Business Administration at Senshu University in Tokyo, told Insider. </p><p>Nemoto said this unbroken male bloodline has been central to Japan's imperial system, which has also symbolized the "unquestionable importance of the norm of patriarchy in Japanese family and society." </p><h2>Like her cousin Mako, Aiko's likely fate is to leave the royal family</h2><p>Nemoto said female members of the Japanese royal family are expected to act feminine, subservient, and demure, while "serving to the male authority including the husband, father, and the nation."</p><p>"They are still expected to take the traditional path of wife and mother," she added.</p><p>But if Aiko follows the path, she will be forced to do so outside of the royal family. "Under the current rules, she will lose her title and place," Nemoto said.</p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako." height="3313" width="4418" msid="88037482" hostid="261"></div><p>According to The New York Times, her cousin Mako is among <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/24/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-mental-health.html">eight other Japanese princesses stripped of</a> a place in the family after marriage. </p><p>Unless Japanese imperial law undergoes dramatic change, spurred on from either pressure from the Japanese public or from government-led initiatives, in which advisory committees previously discussed <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/34ee256aec4b-japan-govt-panel-kicks-off-discussion-on-imperial-succession.html">including women in the line of succession</a> or allowing them to maintain titles upon marriage, according to Kyodo News, Aiko's fate is sealed.  </p><p>"If Japan becomes more gender-equal, the public view of and expectation to the Japanese imperial family will change perhaps to be more democratic," Nemoto said. </p>

Meet Princess Aiko, the only child of Japan's emperor who can't inherit his title because of her gender

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12010812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess-mako" source="Orion">Princess Mako</keyword> made a "dramatic exit" from Japan's royal family by marrying her college sweetheart. </li><li>Just like <keyword id="12101689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="prince-harry-and-meghan-markle" source="Orion">Prince Harry and Meghan Markle</keyword>, she and her husband plan to start a new life in America. </li></ul><p>Japan's Princess Mako married her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro, on October 26 and <a href="https://www.insider.com/japan-princess-mako-marries-boyfriend-gives-up-royal-status-2021-10">in doing so renounced her royal title</a>. </p><p>The move stirred controversy and even led to protests on the streets of Tokyo. <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/04/17/national/media-national/kei-komuro-meghan-markle-royalty/">Japanese outlets such as Japan Times</a> and <a href="https://dot.asahi.com/aera/2021032200039.html?page=1">Aera began comparing Mako and Komuro</a> to a certain former royal couple: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. </p><p>But similarities between the couples are arguably few and far between. </p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako, the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her husband Kei Komuro, a university friend of Princess Mako, poses during a press conference to announce their wedding at Grand Arc Hotel on October 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan" height="4333" width="5778" msid="87492852" hostid="261"></div><h2>Both couples have a complicated relationship with the media</h2><p>Just after Mako and Komuro announced their engagement in 2017, reports that his mother was involved in a financial dispute led the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/japans-empress-strikes-to-end-romance-of-naive-princessmako-hrvjq5hhd">Imperial Household to put the wedding on hold</a>, according to a 2018 Times of London article. Citing a report by the news magazine Shukan Shincho, the Times said Komuro's mother owed 4.3 million yen, or close to $38,000, to a businessman for a loan repayment.</p><p>After the dispute, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-wedding.html">Komuro's image became that of a "gold digger,"</a> according to The New York Times.</p><p>Speaking at the news conference after they married, Mako said "arbitrary criticism" and "incorrect" <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overcoming-scandal-ptsd-japans-princess-mako-finally-marries-college-sweetheart-2021-10-26/">reporting about her husband made her feel</a> "great fear, stress, and sadness," Reuters reported. Her comments came weeks after the Imperial Household Agency announced <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/10/01/japanese-princess-diagnosed-ptsd-ahead-wedding-commoner/">she'd been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder</a> due to media speculation in the lead-up to her wedding, The Telegraph reported. </p><p>Similarly, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken out about how they have been treated by the British tabloid media, though unlike Mako and Komuro, they have taken some media outlets to court.</p><p>Markle won a number of <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-markle-wins-copyright-claim-mail-on-sunday-2021-5">privacy and copyright claims</a> against the Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers earlier this year, after the publication published a private <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-markle-wins-privacy-claim-against-mail-on-sunday-2021-2">letter she wrote to her father in February 2019</a>. And during Markle and Harry's Oprah Winfrey interview in March, they opened up about <a href="https://www.insider.com/harry-and-meghan-oprah-interview-racism-large-part-leaving-uk-2021-3">how racist and biased reporting among British tabloids</a> ultimately contributed to their decision to leave. </p><p>Markle told Winfrey <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-markle-reveals-suicidal-thoughts-oprah-interview-2021-3">she experienced suicidal thoughts</a> and "didn't want to be alive anymore" due to the criticism she faced.</p><p>"That was a clear and real and frightening and constant thought," she said, adding that she had approached a senior royal staff member about getting help for her mental health but was turned away. </p><div type="image" title="Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured leaving St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on their wedding day on May 19 2018." height="2391" width="3189" msid="87492853" hostid="261"></div><h2>Both couples had private wedding ceremonies, but Harry and Markle followed tradition</h2><p>Mako and Komuro's wedding involved far less fanfare than is typically associated with Japanese royal weddings. <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10130771/Japans-Princess-Mako-marries-commoner-loses-royal-status.html">Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako's 1993 wedding</a> saw the couple parade through central Tokyo while crowds of people waved behind, the Daily Mail reported.</p><p>Forgoing a ceremony, reception, or traditional portraits, Mako and Komuro instead had an official from the Imperial Household register their union and gave a <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/10/0b8be1621cc2-princess-mako-to-only-give-written-answers-for-marriage-press-conf.html">short press conference, answering questions</a> in writing, according to Kyodo News. </p><p>Harry and Markle said they had <a href="https://www.insider.com/oprah-interview-meghan-harry-private-wedding-wasnt-official-experts-say-2021-3">an intimate, secret ceremony three days before</a> their televised royal wedding, a lavish public celebration at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their royal wedding was attended by <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrities-attending-royal-wedding-photos-2018-5#oprah-winfrey-1">celebrities including George Clooney and Serena Williams</a>, and the after party included <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/royal-wedding-after-party-what-happened-meghan-markle-prince-harry-2018-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">an Elton John performance</a>.</p><h2>Unlike the Sussexes, Mako and Komuro will live in a New York apartment</h2><p>Like Harry and Markle, who moved to North America after stepping back from royal life in January 2020, Mako and Komuro are planning to live in the US.</p><p>Komuro has been <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10152047/Princess-Makos-new-husband-fails-New-York-bar-exam.html">working as a legal clerk in Manhattan</a> after his studies at Fordham University, the Daily Mail reported. On Saturday, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211030_15/">he failed his first attempt at the bar exam</a> but is said to be planning a February retake with Mako's support.</p><p>The one-bedroom New York City apartment Mako and Komuro plan to move into will be very different from the luxurious, <a href="https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/c06108/royal-real-estate-residences-and-other-properties-used-by-japan%E2%80%99s-imperial-family.html">538,000-square-foot Akasaka Estate</a>, where Mako grew up alongside other members of the Imperial Household, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/10/28/japans-princess-mako-move-one-bed-new-york-flat-husband-losing/">The Telegraph reported</a>. </p><p>As for Harry and Markle, they initially lived in a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-stayed-in-13-million-vancouver-mansion-2020-1?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">$13.26 million waterfront home on Vancouver Island</a> in Canada before relocating to <a href="https://www.insider.com/what-its-like-to-spend-the-day-in-montecito-california-2021-7">the exclusive town of Montecito, California</a>, in March 2020, where they now live in a <a href="https://www.insider.com/celebrity-homes-montecito-california-meghan-harry-2021-5#oprah-winfrey-owns-three-montecito-ranches-collectively-worth-almost-86-million-and-totaling-70-connected-acres-1">$14.7 million property.</a></p><div type="image" title="Harry Meghan interview 2" height="1078" width="1902" msid="87492855" hostid="261"></div><h2>Harry and Markle remain in the spotlight, but that might not be the case for Mako and Komuro</h2><p>While Markle and Harry have continued with their <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-pictured-playing-in-charity-polo-match-colorado-2021-8">charity work</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-visit-nyc-photos-2021-9">attended public-speaking events</a>, aired <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-harry-interview-details-you-missed-2021-3">their Oprah interview</a>, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-sign-production-deal-with-netflix-2020-9">signed a multiyear deal with Netflix</a> to produce documentaries and films, Ken Ruoff, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Portland State University, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/26/asia/royal-news-newsletter-10-26-21-scli-gbr-cmd-intl/index.html">told CNN that Mako and Komuro's "dramatic exit"</a> from royal life doesn't mean they plan to pursue life in the public eye.</p><p>"I think what's going to happen is they're just going to disappear," he said.</p><p>Asked about <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/26/national/japan-princess-mako-marriage/">comparisons she gets to Markle and Harry</a> earlier this year, Mako said she didn't have any "particular thoughts" but that she only wants to live a "peaceful life," according to the Japan Times. </p><div type="image" title="Prince Harry (left) and Princess Mako (right)." height="960" width="1280" msid="87492857" hostid="261"></div><h2>Harry said he didn't get financial support from his family, while Mako refused hers</h2><p>Before her wedding, it was reported that Mako rejected <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-mako-will-reject-wedding-payment-to-marry-college-sweetheart-2021-9">a $1.3 million payout</a> typically offered to female royal family members who leave the Imperial Household. </p><p>By contrast, Harry has said that <a href="https://www.insider.com/prince-harry-cut-off-by-family-used-inheritance-from-diana-2021-3">his family financially cut him off</a> around the same time he and Markle announced they were stepping back, telling Winfrey during their interview that he'd been paying for his own security with the inheritance money his late mother, Princess Diana, left for him. </p><p>"I've got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this," Harry said.</p>

Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Japan's Princess Mako left the royal world - but she and her husband plan to lead a totally different life

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12010812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess-mako" source="Orion">Princess Mako</keyword> of <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword> married her "commoner" college sweetheart on Tuesday. </li><li>The non-traditional wedding follows a four-year-long engagement marred by controversy. </li></ul><p>Japan's <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/26/national/japan-princess-mako-marriage/">Princess Mako married her "commoner" college sweetheart</a>, Kei Komuro, on Tuesday in a low-key event without a traditional ceremony or reception, according to The Japan Times.</p><p>The wedding, which followed a four-year-long engagement, comes weeks after the Imperial Royal Household announced the princess had suffered <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211001_23/">post-traumatic stress disorder</a> from the public scrutiny surrounding her relationship, Japan's public broadcaster reported.</p><p>It's also not the first time the couple, who met at university in 2012, broke tradition. In September, it was announced <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-mako-will-reject-wedding-payment-to-marry-college-sweetheart-2021-9">Mako is rejecting the $1.3 million payout</a> offered to female members of the family who lose royal status by marrying "commoners."</p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako (R), the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her husband Kei Komuro, a university friend of Princess Mako, bow after a press conference to announce their wedding at Grand Arc Hotel on October 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan." height="4332" width="5777" msid="87284571" hostid="261"></div><p>Speaking at a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overcoming-scandal-ptsd-japans-princess-mako-finally-marries-college-sweetheart-2021-10-26/">press conference in Tokyo</a> after their marriage was officially registered on Tuesday, Mako said "arbitrary criticism" and "incorrect" reporting about her husband made her feel "great fear, stress, and sadness," Reuters reports.</p><p>"I feel very sorry for those whom we have caused trouble," she said. "For us, marriage is a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts."</p><p>Komuro added: "I want to spend the only life I have with the one I love."</p><p>The Japan Times reports that he left Japan in August 2018 to study at Fordham University's law school, and reunited with <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/10/18/national/komuro-mako-parents/">Mako in October after three years apart</a>.</p><p>According to Japan Today, Mako's parents, <a href="https://japantoday.com/category/national/Former-Princess-Mako-says-marriage-was-a-necessary-choice">Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko</a>, released a joint statement calling the marriage "unprecedented" for the Imperial Royal Household, and hoping the couple make a "happy family."</p><p>Komuro and Mako, both 30, are preparing to move to New York City where he works in a law firm once she receives her first ever passport, according to Reuters.  </p><div type="image" title="People demonstrate against the marriage of Princess Mako and commoner Kei Komuro on October 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Princess Mako will renounce her royal entitlement and will move to New York, United States, with her husband, leaving Japanese royal family." height="2784" width="3712" msid="87284574" hostid="261"></div><p>In response, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-59046476">protestors on the streets of Tokyo</a> have been demonstrating against the marriage. According to the BBC, most of the slogans concerned Komuro's mother. </p><p>Public outcry against Komuro and his mother is nothing new and relates to a financial dispute that surfaced in Japanese media in 2017, months after the couple announced their engagement. According to the Times of London, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/japans-empress-strikes-to-end-romance-of-naive-princessmako-hrvjq5hhd">the controversy stems from Komuro's mother's failure to repay</a> 4.3 million yen, or around $35,000, to her ex-fiancé, some of which went to her son's schooling. </p><div type="image" title="People take part in a march to protest against the marriage between Japan's Princess Mako and Kei Komuro in Tokyo on October 26, 2021." height="5504" width="7338" msid="87284577" hostid="261"></div><p>When the story broke in 2017, the Imperial Household Agency of Japan announced their engagement would be "frozen" and postponed in light of the financial dispute, the publication reported.</p><p>Her grandmother Empress Michiko called her "naive" for continuing the relationship, it added.</p><p>The dispute led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-wedding.html">insinuations among the public that Komuro</a> is a "gold digger," according to the New York Times. He issued a 24-page statement in 2021 where he said he would settle the payment, Reuters reported. </p><div type="image" title="The Japanese Imperial Royal family." height="3667" width="5500" msid="87284579" hostid="261"></div><p>As a female member of Japan's imperial royal family, Mako's decision to wed a "commoner" <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/07/national/imperial-family-panel-commoners/">means she will have to give up her title</a>, according to Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law, The Japan Times previously reported. </p><p>Hideya Kawanishi, an associate professor of history at Nagoya University, told Reuters that while she would never have been expected to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her and Komuro's association with Hisahito, her younger brother who may become Emperor, is said to be particularly damaging.</p><p>Representatives for the Imperial Royal Household did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. </p>

Japan's Princess Mako has given up her royal status to marry her 'commoner' boyfriend after a four-year engagement

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword>'s <keyword id="12010812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess-mako" source="Orion">Princess Mako</keyword> was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.</li><li>Mako has been under pressure since her 2017 engagement with Kei Komuro, whom she met in college.</li><li>The two are now set to get married later in October. </li></ul><p>Japan's Princess Mako - the 29-year-old niece of Emperor Naruhito who is set to marry a commoner - was recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Japan's public broadcaster NHK <a href="https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211001_23/">reported</a> on Friday. </p><p>Mako has been under immense pressure since her 2017 engagement with Kei Komuro, whom she met in college, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/01/world/asia/japan-princess-mako-wedding.html">reported</a> on Friday. </p><p>The wedding is scheduled to take place on October 26, the report said, and will lack the traditional flair of a royal wedding. Instead, the couple will settle in New York where Komuro works in a law office. </p><p><em>This story is developing. Please check back for updates.</em></p>

A Japanese princess set to marry a commoner was under such intense pressure, she was diagnosed with PTSD

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12010812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="princess-mako" source="Orion">Princess Mako</keyword> of <keyword id="6355311" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword> and Kei Komoru got engaged in 2017 and are set to marry this year. </li><li>As the niece of Emperor Naruhito, Mako must let go of her royal status in order to wed a "commoner."</li><li>She's rejected the $1.3 million handout by the Japanese government to start her new non-royal life.</li></ul><p>A Japanese princess set to give up royal life when she marries her "commoner" college sweetheart will also turn down a $1.3 million government handout funded by taxpayer money, intended to help jump-start her new life, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/japans-princess-mako-refuses-1m-state-wedding-payment-and-plans-us-move-jh7bx8ph9">the Times of London</a> reports. </p><p>Princess Mako of Akishino and her law-student fiancé Kei Komuro, both 29, plan to live together in the United States after their nuptials later this year - and they'll be doing so without a helping hand from the Japanese government, the publication reports.</p><p>The couple, who were pictured beaming during their engagement announcement in 2017, are college sweethearts according to <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/07/national/imperial-family-panel-commoners/">the Japan Times</a>, having first met in 2012 while studying at International Christian University in Tokyo. </p><p>Komuro, according to the publication, already lives in the US and is awaiting the results of his law exams in December. He's expected to take up an offer from a US law firm after the results. </p><p>However, his and Mako's is a love story has been plagued with controversy. As a member of Japan's imperial royal family and niece of Emperor Naruhito, who currently reigns over the Chrysanthemum Throne, Mako's decision to wed a "commoner" means she will have to give up her title, according to Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law, <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/08/07/national/imperial-family-panel-commoners/">the Japan Times reported</a>. </p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako (top left) pictured with her royal family including Emperor Naruhito (third from the left) and her father Prince Akishino (second from the right)." height="3667" width="5500" msid="85866626" hostid="261"></div><p>As a woman, the Imperial House law also decrees Mako would never have been expected to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne, even without her decision to marry Komuro.</p><p>Following the couple's engagement, the Japan Times reports an advisory panel on imperial succession has been discussing the challenges the law presents when it comes to succession, and particularly whether or not to allow female members of the royal family to retain imperial status after marrying "commoners." </p><p>The 1947 law, according to the publication, has been restricting the order of succession of Japan's royalty since it came into place. After 61-year-old Emperor Naruhito finishes his reign, the current male heirs set to replace him include his 55-year-old brother Prince Akishino, who is Mako's father, his nephew Prince Hisahito, 14, and his 85-year-old uncle Prince Hitachi. </p><p>On July 9, the publication reported, all six members of the advisory panel had agreed no imperial status should be given to spouses and children of female royal members, which means that Komuro will retain his "commoner" status. </p><div type="image" title="Princess Mako on a visit to Peru in 2019." height="3072" width="5012" msid="85866628" hostid="261"></div><p>According to the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/japans-empress-strikes-to-end-romance-of-naive-princessmako-hrvjq5hhd">Times of London</a>, Mako's grandmother, former Empress Michiko, described her as "naive" and called for the end of their relationship in 2017 after reports surfaced that Komuro's mother was involved in a nearly $40,000 (4.3 million yen) monetary dispute. </p><p>The disagreement, according to publication, is still ongoing and involved the ex-partner of Komuro's mother, who is a widow and claims the funds were a loan, some of which reportedly went to financing Komuro's schooling. Meanwhile, Komuro's mother reportedly claims there was no obligation of repayment. </p><p>When news of the dispute broke in 2017, the Imperial Household Agency of Japan announced their relationship would be "frozen" and postponed in light of the financial dispute, the Times of London reported. </p><p>However, the couple appear determined to go ahead with their wedding plans and are set to marry later this year. Last year, according to the publication, Mako said: "For us, a marriage is a necessary choice to live and honor our hearts."</p><p>"We are irreplaceable for one another, and we lean on each other in happy times and unhappy ones," she added.</p><p>Representatives for the Imperial Household Agency of Japan did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.</p>

Princess Mako of Japan will reject a $1.3 million dollar payout when she weds her 'commoner' college sweetheart

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Prince Dimitri of former Yugoslavia has lived in <keyword id="11921345" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york-city" source="Orion">New York City</keyword> since 1984. </li><li>The prince told Insider that he prefers the US to <keyword id="11897120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="europe" source="Orion">Europe</keyword> because it's a "free society." </li></ul><p>New York City has become a hotspot for <keyword id="11893529" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="royals" source="Orion">royals</keyword> in recent months.</p><p>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embarked on a tour of the city in September, taking part in charity events and <a href="https://www.insider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-new-york-city-melbas-restaurant-photos-2021-9">dining at Harlem's popular chicken restaurant, Melba's</a>. Then in November, Japan's former Princess Mako <a href="https://www.insider.com/princess-mako-kei-komuro-different-from-harry-meghan-2021-11">moved to NYC</a> with her husband, Kei Komuro, after leaving royal duties behind. </p><p>One royal who knows the allure of NYC is Prince Dimitri of former Yugoslavia. Dimitri, who has lived in the city since 1984 and has a <a href="https://www.princedimitri.com/">self-named jewelry brand</a> based there, told Insider that it's the best place to live because it allows for anonymity.</p><p>"In New York, nobody cares as long as you are nice and fun and intelligent and mind your own business. Anything goes, it's very relaxed," Dimitri told Insider. </p><p>The prince grew up in Paris, but said he prefers the US to Europe.</p><p>"America is a much more free society. Although it's changing a lot lately, in Europe everything is so complicated. It's an older world there, so everything is more complicated," he said. </p><h2>Prince Dimitri says a royal title is his 'birthright' even though the monarchy no longer exists </h2><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Yugoslavia-former-federated-nation-1929-2003#ref228362">Yugolsavia</a>'s monarchy ceased to exist after the royal household went into exile during World War II, when the country was invaded by Axis powers in 1941, according to Britannica. In 2003, Yugoslavia was reconstituted and renamed the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Serbia and Montenegro <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Serbia-and-Montenegro">dissolved in 2006</a> after Montenegro declared its independence.</p><p>While Yugoslavia and its monarchy no longer exist, descendants of the <keyword id="11893535" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-family" source="Orion">royal family</keyword> are entitled to keep their titles, according to Dimitri. </p><p>"A royal title is a birthright, so it follows you for your entire life," Dimitri said. "And sometimes, it's good to use it. I use it for my company, which is called 'Prince Dimitri.' It makes it easier for marketing. Certainly a few steps saved in having to work harder, let's be honest." </p><p>Dimitri said he started designing <keyword id="12243699" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jewelry" source="Orion">jewelry</keyword> in 1998 and went on to create his own company, which sells diamond rings, earrings, and gold bracelets <a href="https://www.princedimitri.com/new-look-of-glamour/">worth up to around $16,000</a>. His book, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Once-Upon-Diamond-Family-Tradition/dp/0847866912">"Once Upon a Diamond,"</a> was published in 2020.</p><p>In his spare time, Dimitri said he works with a number of US-based charities, including <a href="http://www.savoyfoundation-usa.org/mission.html">The American Foundation of the Savoy Orders</a>, which provides humanitarian, medical, and educational grants, and <a href="https://www.casitamaria.org/">Casita Maria</a>, which encourages young people to become leaders through the arts.</p><p>And while the prince uses his title to promote his work, he said he doesn't use it in his regular life or when making restaurant reservations. </p><p>"If you use it correctly and in a nice way and you behave like a role model, there's nothing wrong with it," he said.</p>

You Searched For "mako komuro" and got 9 results

Former Japanese princess Mako Komuro is volunteering at New York's Met after renouncing her titles to marry her commoner husband

Cheryl Teh

Former Japanese princess leaves behind her title to marry her college sweetheart and move to the US

Morgan Keith

Princess Aiko of Japan wishes her cousin Princess Mako, who left royal life behind, 'many years' of happiness

Maria Noyen

Meet Princess Aiko, the only child of Japan's emperor who can't inherit his title because of her gender

Maria Noyen

Like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Japan's Princess Mako left the royal world - but she and her husband plan to lead a totally different life

Maria Noyen

Japan's Princess Mako has given up her royal status to marry her 'commoner' boyfriend after a four-year engagement

Maria Noyen

A Japanese princess set to marry a commoner was under such intense pressure, she was diagnosed with PTSD

Jake Epstein

Princess Mako of Japan will reject a $1.3 million dollar payout when she weds her 'commoner' college sweetheart

Maria Noyen

A European prince who moved to NYC says it's the best place for royals because 'nobody cares' and the US is 'more free'

Mikhaila Friel