The former Japanese Princess Mako and her husband, Kei Komuro, have arrived in New York City to begin their new life together away from the Japanese media spotlight.
The former royal and her new spouse arrived in New York City on a flight from Tokyo on 14 November to settle into their one-bedroom apartment in the Big Apple. Kei Komuro is employed at a law firm in the city, and Mako is expected to look for employment once she is settled.
Komuro took the New York state bar exam earlier this year but did not pass the extremely difficult test. He is expected to continue studying and retake the exam in February 2022.
The pair, both 30, married on 26 October without any royal fanfare. They did not get a royal wedding but instead wed in an administrative centre. The couple’s marriage had been delayed several years due to Komuro’s family’s financial controversy. The vast majority of Japanese people did not support the union, and Mako turned down the lump sum payment she was entitled to from the government upon her marriage.
Princess Mako gave up her royal title and place in the Imperial Family upon marriage to Komuro, as required by law. Japanese princesses must relinquish their royal status and position in the family if they marry a commoner. She is now known as Mako Komuro.
Before she and her new husband could relocate to the United States, the former princess had to apply for a passport as members of the Imperial Family are not required to have them. She and Kei resided in a small apartment in Tokyo while her paperwork was completed.
Mako is the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko and is a niece to Japan’s current monarch, Emperor Naruhito.
