Princess Mako, Emperor Naruhito's niece, renounced her status to marry Kei Komuro, a commoner lawyer. In fact, it took four years to wait for Princess Mako and Kei Komuro to seal their matrimonial union. Without the pomp and circumstance of traditional Japanese rites, the wedding took place on Tuesday, October 26, 2021.
Princess Mako was forced to renounce her princess title and inheritance in order to become Kei's wife. Japanese law defines that female members of the imperial family must renounce royalty when they decide to marry a commoner, as was the case with Kei, the princess's fiance. This rule does not apply to men. And let's agree that in 2022, such conventions could have evolved, right? But beyond that, in Japan, only male heirs are candidates for succession to the imperial throne.
Mako, who was born destined to unite with a prince or personality with royal titles, ended up meeting her husband at the International Christian University, in Japan, in 2012. The two got engaged in 2017 and since then, the couple has been the subject of controversies that aired by the tabloids and which highlighted the financial difficulties of the commoner Komuro's family. The engagement almost reached the altar well before 2021, however, it had to be postponed, as some conservative Japanese believed that the lawyer was not worthy enough to be Mako's partner and join the imperial family.
After the couple postponed their wedding, Komuro moved to New York to study law. This decision was seen as a way to escape the press and the controversial news about the couple. After graduating, Komuro returned to Japan, with a new look that included longer hair with a ponytail. And so, another subject arose to generate controversy in the press. All this focus on her personal life has caused Mako to have post-traumatic stress disorder.
Princess Mako is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito of Akishino and Princess Kiko. The ceremony was just to formalize the union and, as expected, it was very modest. There was no celebration or celebration of any kind. None of the bride's relatives attended the ceremony. An official who worked for the imperial family was the one who acted as a witness. From the official marriage, the princess was called Mako Komuro. And it was the first time in Japan's postwar history that a woman from the monarchy renounced her title and did not marry in the traditional ritual.
There were not many records of the ceremony, which was followed by a press conference after which Mako took leave of the Imperial Family for the United States, promoting an unprecedented break with imperial tradition. Some television channels showed images of the princess and Emperor Naruhito's niece leaving the imperial residence in Akasaka. She carried a bunch of flowers in her hands and said goodbye with a bow from her parents and the press, as well as a hug for her sister. At the conference, the couple refused to answer journalists' questions. Mako was wearing a light blue dress and described her husband as someone "irreplaceable", according to The Guardian newspaper.
Royals do not have passports. Therefore, Mako had to wait to get the document and go to the United States. It even sounds like a movie story, but it was real life happening!
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