THE STAR-CROSSED LOVERS
PRINCESS MAKO OF JAPAN AND KEI KOMURO
As the eldest grandchild of Emperor Akihito (85) and Empress Michiko (84), Princess Mako (27) raised eyebrows when she announced her engagement to university classmate Kei Komuro (27) in May 2017. As a woman, Mako isn’t in line to claim Japan’s Chrysanthemum throne, but marriage to a commoner does mean she’ll lose her royal status – just as her cousin Ayako Moriya (28) did last year.
Still, the smitten couple announced they’d received the emperor’s blessing last year and a November wedding was on the cards.
But the loss of Mako’s royal status wasn’t the only issue – three months before they were due to tie the knot, the wedding was postponed indefinitely. The official word from the Imperial Household Agency was that the wedding had been delayed due to “lack of time for preparation”, which Mako seemed to confirm in a statement. “We believe we’ve rushed various things,” she said.
The real reason for the postponement is a financial dispute within Kei’s family, according to tabloids. Apparently Kei’s mother borrowed money from her ex-fiancé to pay for Kei’s studies and hasn’t paid it back – and for Mako’s parents, Prince Fumihito (53) and Princess Kiko (52), the debt is unacceptable. Fumihito and Kiko also asked Kei, a paralegal, for a life plan, Kyodo News adds.
Kei seems to be taking it seriously – he’s left Tokyo to start a three-year law course at New York’s Fordham University.
Sources say Mako and Kei are doing their best to stay in touch and still plan to marry when he returns.