Japanese Princess Mako will marry 'commoner'; rejects government payout of $1.3 million

Japanese Princess Mako of Akishino reportedly rejected a giant paycheck from the government worth $1.3 million and is expected to renounce her royal titles in order to marry her college sweetheart, a commoner named Kei Komuro. Her marriage to Komuro is said to take place by the end of the year, as per local media reports. Japanese laws require the titles for the royals to be forfeited in order to marry a common citizen and the Japanese princess of Akishino is willing to give away her royal privileges for the sake of marrying her longtime lover. According to a report carried by The Times, princesses who choose to lose their noble status are entitled to a $1.3 million payout from the government, which Mako of Akishino has refused. 

For her wedding, the Japanese princess will hold a formal Shinto betrothal ceremony, sources familiar with the development told the Japanese media. Both Mako and Komuro plan to organize a humble ceremony instead of a lavish function before the end of 2021 which will include close family and friends. The couple will then relocate to the US, where Komuro, bridegroom of Princess Mako, plans to find employment at a New York law firm. The two reportedly met at International Christian University where they pursued the education together and then became acquainted at a restaurant in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, later. 

“First, I was attracted by his bright smile,” the Japanese princess was quoted saying by Telegraph. While Komuro proposed to the princess in December 2013, the couple had been in a long-distance relationship as Mako pursued her master’s degree in Art Museum and Gallery Studies at Leicester University in England. She graduated in 2016. The Imperial Household announced the couple’s plan to get married in 2021 back in November 2018, because of being young age at the time. The niece of Emperor Naruhito had been waiting patiently stalling plans of her wedding to work around with her royal status. 

Dutch Princess refused $1.9 million royal allowance

In a similar way, the heir to the Dutch throne, Princess Amalia, decided to reject the annual allowance worth $1.9 million (1.6 million euros/Rs 14 crore) per year, drifting from norms adopted by her predecessors. King Willem-Alexander's oldest daughter was entitled to receive her annual allowance after she turned 18 in December 2020, but she refused to take the money saying that she has been “uncomfortable” about the idea and “does not need anything in return” for being a Royal, according to multiple reports.