Japan’s Princess Mako who was set to be stripped of her royal status when she married a commoner this year has delayed her wedding AGAIN after first postponing over two years ago
- Princess Mako of Japan is the 28-year-old niece of the new Emperor Naruhito
- She planned to give up her royal title to marry long-term boyfriend Kei Komuro
- Originally postponed her wedding after announcing their engagement in 2017
- Says there are still no ‘concrete plans’ on when they will eventually get married
Princess Mako of Japan delayed plans to marry again after announcing she would willingly be stripped of her royal status in order to wed her ‘commoner’ boyfriend.
The royal, 28, who studied in Edinburgh, Dublin and Leicester, will be forced to give up her title in order to marry long-term boyfriend Kei Komuro, whom she met at university.
But after already delaying her wedding once in 2017, it has been announced that the plans for her to wed Komuro are on hold yet again, despite it being over two years since they originally postponed their big day.
The Japanese royal told how, while the couple are ‘irreplaceable to each other’, there are still no ‘concrete plans’ of when they will eventually tie the knot, and that it’s difficult to tell ‘anything about the future’ at the moment.
Princess Mako of Japan has once again delayed plans to marry her fiance Kei Komuro after originally announcing their engagement 2017. The couple are pictured during a press conference in 2017
The royal, 28, (pictured in 2011) who studied in Edinburgh, Dublin and Leicester, will be forced to give up her title in order to marry her long-term boyfriend.
‘For us, a marriage is a necessary choice to live and honour our hearts,’ said Mako in a statement on Friday, released by the Imperial Household Agency.
‘We are irreplaceable to each other, and we can lean on each other in happy times and in unhappy times.
‘It is difficult to tell anything concrete regarding our future plans and others at the moment.’
Japan’s imperial law requires a princess to leave the royal family after marrying a commoner.
Princess Mako’s aunt, Princess Sayako, became the last royal to be stripped of her status when she wed a Tokyo city official in 2005.
The royal recently took on official duties at her uncle Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace. Pictured in October last year
Princess Mako (in blue) has taken on a more active role within the family in the months since her uncle was made Emperor and her father heir to the throne in May. Pictured left to right: Princess Kako, 24, and Princess Mako with parents Crown Princess Kiko and Crown Prince Fumihito in October 2019
The couple met while both students at Tokyo’s International Christian University.
Komuro proposed over dinner in December 2013, and the pair kept their their long-distance relationship under wraps while Mako studied for her master’s degree in the UK.
Princess Mako announced her intention to marry Mr Komuro, who works at a law firm, in 2017. Shortly afterwards it was announced the pair would wed in November 2018.
The wedding was later postponed until 2020, with an official statement saying the couple needed more time to plan.
However reports have since emerged suggesting Mr Komuro’s family is involved in a financial dispute of which his in-laws disapprove.
The couple met while both were students at Tokyo’s International Christian University. Komuro (pictured in 2017) proposed over dinner in December 2013
In July the Crown Prince said he did not know whether his daughter’s marriage will take place. Pictured, Princess Mako being welcomed by Princess Eeuphelma Choden Wangchuck in Bhutan 2017
In July the Crown Prince said he did not know whether his daughter’s marriage will take place, the Japan Times reported.
The news comes weeks after her father Crown Prince Fumihito, 54, was formally installed as first in line to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne.
Last month the royal took on official duties at her uncle Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony.
The princess donned a traditional Jūnihitoe as she took part in a procession through Tokyo’s Imperial Palace to mark her uncle’s formal ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
It marked the latest in a string of high profile engagements carried out by the princess, who has taken on a more active role within the family in the months since her uncle was made Emperor and her father heir to the throne in May.