Japanese Princess gives up royal status to marry

Japan’s Princess Mako is set to lose her royal status after revealing she will marry a commoner.

The 25-year-old announced her engagement to former university classmate Kei Komuro, who works at a law firm, on Sunday.

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However while it may be joyous news for the young princess and her love, it means that she will no longer be considered a member of the royal family after walking down the aisle.

Kei Komuro actually proposed to the Princess in 2013 and now she has spoken about their love for the first time.

"I was aware since my childhood that I'll leave a royal status once I marry," she said at a student talk in Shibuya, Tokyo.

“First I was attracted by his bright smiles like the sun."

She also said her love is "a sincere, strong-minded, hard worker, and he has a big heart".

However, under the Japanese ‘Imperial House Law’ she will become a commoner when she ties the knot as it’s only believed that royal blood runs in the male line of succession.

The Princess will be the first to lose royal status since 2014, when the emperor’s daughter, Princess Noriko married.

When Princess Mako marries Kei Komuro, she is expected to keep her job as a researcher at a museum at the University of Tokyo, which she landed after completing a master’s degree in art museum and gallery studies.

Princess Mako is the first of Emperor Akihito’s four grandchildren who will walk down the aisle, and when she marries there will only be 13 female members left in the royal family.

According to The Japanese Times,The Japanese Imperial royal family currently has 18 male members, but only one of them, Princess Mako’s brother, 10-year-old Prince Hisahito, is under the age of 50.

Prince Hisahito is currently third in line to the throne after his uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito, and his father Prince Akishino.

Princess Mako’s engagement is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, after which an official date will be set.

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