Japanese princess Mako finally marries her college boyfriend Kei Komura, thus losing her royal status after marriage.
The couple announced their engagement in 2017, where Princess Mako said that Kei won her heart with his beautiful smile like the sun. The two had met in university life where they decided to get married the following year.
Under the Japanese law, women in the royal family lose their status if they marry a commoner. Princess Mako also skipped the royal wedding and the payment offered to royal women leaving the family. She is the first royal to decline both luxuries.
According to the BBC, the newly wed couple is expected to move to the United States, where Kei Komura practice as a lawyer. This move has drawn comparison to Meghan and Harry (the British royal couple who left the royalty) who moved to the US. In fact, Mako and Kei are also being called “Japan’s Harry and Meghan.
The marriage between a royal and a commoner also faced some opposition and protest. According to BBC correspondent, the real reason behind the opposition is some conservative Japanese who think Kei is not a suitable partner for the princess.