Japan’s Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? Princess Mako is set to wed her commoner sweetheart Kei Komuro and move to the US … despite the controversy

Sep 3 , 2021

Princess Mako, the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her fiancé Kei Komuro, a university friend of Princess Mako, smile during a press conference to announce their engagement at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2017. Photo: Reuters

The niece of Emperor Naruhito and daughter of crown Prince Akishino, Mako will lose her title and her sons won’t be eligible for the Chrysanthemum Throne

The couple are skipping traditional ceremonies and turning down a payout that goes to female royals marrying commoners – and social media is all atwitter

The course of true love never did run smooth, but after public controversy and a wedding delay, Japan’s Princess Mako is reportedly set to tie the knot and move to the US.

The daughter of Japan’s crown prince and niece of Emperor Naruhito has endured years of sniping and stalling over her plans to marry sweetheart Kei Komuro.

The pair have now decided to wed without some traditional ceremonies, rejecting a payout that usually goes to female royals marrying out of the royal family.

A street TV in Tokyo’s Yurakucho area shows a news report saying that Princess Mako, the first grandchild of Japanese Emperor Akihito, will soon become engaged to Kei Komuro, a 25-year-old graduate student at Tokyo’s Hitotsubashi University, in May 2017. Photo: Kyodo

Japan’s imperial succession rules mean that 29-year-old Mako will lose her title after marriage to a commoner.

But Komuro has still been heavily scrutinised over allegations that his mother borrowed money from a former fiancé and failed to repay it.

After tabloids reported on the claims, a furore erupted around the young couple in a country where the royal family is held to an exacting standard.

The pair postponed their wedding, and Komuro moved to the US for law school in a move that was widely seen as a bid to defuse the negative attention.

Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko smile with their family members during a photo session for the New Year at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan in November 2016. Photo: Imperial Household Agency of Japan via Reuters

Crown Prince Akishino last year said that he supported his daughter’s marriage, but that she needed to win the public’s “understanding”.

But she has apparently decided to get around the issue by marrying without the usual ritual ceremonies that accompany a royal wedding, and declining a lump sum payment given to female royals who marry commoners.