Photo: Imperial Household Agency of Jap/AFP via Getty
Happy birthday, Princess Kako!
The Japanese princess turned 28 on Thursday, and the Imperial Household Agency released new portraits of her to celebrate. In the autumnal photos, Kako smiled and posed on the grounds of the Akasaka imperial property residence in Tokyo, where many members of the Japanese royal family live.
According toThe Japan Times, Kako embraced a heavier royal workload throughout the past year after her elder sister, the formerPrincess Mako, left the royal family to marry Kei Komuro, her commoner boyfriend who she met in college a decade ago.
With local coronavirus-related restrictions officially lifted, Kako attended an urban greenery fair, a high school sign-language contest, Girl Scout events and more this summer and fall, theJapan Timesreported. She also became patron of the Japan Tennis Association and the Japan Kogei Association, a cultural preservation group, in her sister’s stead.
Imperial Household Agency of Jap/AFP via Getty
PHOTO: Imperial Household Agency of Jap/AFP via GettyPHOTO: Imperial Household Agency of Jap/AFP via Getty
In October 2021, then-Princess Mako married Komuro, 31, in a subdued ceremony at a government office. Because Japanese law requires a princess to “leave the imperial family upon marriage to a commoner,” Makogave up her royal titlesin order to get married. She alsoturned down a $1.3 million payoutfrom the Japanese government that is traditionally paid to royal women who lose their royal status when they marry.
Kei Komuro and Princess Mako.SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI/AFP via Getty Images
“I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused and I am grateful for those … who have continued to support me,” the bride told the press at the time, according to theBBC. “For me, Kei is irreplaceable — marriage was a necessary choice for us.”
Mako and Komuro met while attending International Christian University in Tokyo in 2012, theSouth China Morning Postreported. Komuro proposed over dinner in December 2013, perThe Telegraph, and their relationship went long-distance while Mako studied for her master’s degree overseas, graduating in Art Museum and Gallery Studies in January 2016 from England’s Leicester University.
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The couple did not announce theirengagementuntil September 2017, though their 2018 wedding plans were ultimately pushed off following a dispute over money between Komuro’s mother and her former fiancé concerning his having financed Komuro’s education.
One month after Mako and Komuro got married, they moved toNew York Cityfor a fresh start. Today, Komuro works in law, while Mako reportedlyvolunteers as a curatorat the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
source: people.com
