26-year-old Princess Mako of Japan recently left everyone, including her family members, stunned when she announced her decision to marry Kei Komuro, a law school graduate.
Her decision meant that Mako would have to give up her royal title - under Japanese law, female imperial family members have to give up their status if they want to marry a commoner, but male members do not - a sacrifice that she seemed willing to make.
Mako’s marriage to the commoner was a quiet one - without the traditional wedding celebrations befitting of royals - on Tuesday, 27 October 2021.
The Princess, who is a niece of Emperor Naruhito, said their marriage - delayed three years and opposed by some - was a necessary choice to live while cherishing their hearts.
Princess Mako turned 30 three days before her marriage to Komuro, and the duo were classmates at Tokyo’s International Christian University. In September 2017, Mako had announced that they intended to get married the following year, but a financial dispute involving his mother surfaced two months later, and the wedding was suspended.
Speaking about her husband at a televised news conference, Mako said: “For me, Kei-san is a priceless person. For us, our marriage was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts.”
Komuro responded saying, “I love Mako. I live only once, and I want to spend it with someone I love. I hope to have a warm family with Mako-san, and I will continue to do everything to support her.“
For leaving the imperial family, Mako was entitled to a 140 million yen ($1.23 million) payment which, according to the Palace officials, she had earlier declined.
We know that love is a beautiful thing. However, it usually comes with a price to pay. For some, it might be a small price, and for others, a huge one. Several other monarchs have toed the steps of Princess Mako - giving up their royal titles for love.
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King Edward VIII, England
King Edward VIII gave up his royal title to marry Wallis Simpson in 1937, a woman he had met six years before and had grown fond of.
Edward’s royal title as the King of England at the time could not let him marry Wallis in the church because she was an American woman who had been divorced twice, and the Church of England didn’t allow divorcees to marry in a church at the time.
So, deciding to marry her would mean giving up his office as the then Head of State, but the sacrifice seemed too little to stop King Edward from being with his beloved. So he gave up his title and passed the throne down to his brother George VI, who passed the throne on to Queen Elizabeth II.
