The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images.Photo: Kei Komuro and Princess Mako
Japan’sPrincess Makohas been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in wake of local media coverage surrounding her complex romance with a commoner, the palace announced Friday.
The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images
Isao Tokoro, an expert on the imperial family that teaches at Kyoto Sangyo University, described the union as “a kind of declaration of severing ties,” noting it would be seen “as practically equivalent to eloping.”
The former classmates at Tokyo’s International Christian University announced their plans to wed in September 2017, but the event was ultimately pushed off following a dispute over finances,WSJreports.
Princess Mako in 2019.AFP/ KAZUHIRO NOGI / POOL/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Komuro graduated from Fordham Law in New York this year and currently works for law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP. He recently completed the state bar exam for New York and is awaiting his results.
Once married, Mako will lose her royal status. According to NBC News, the princess is expected to decline a gift of 150 million yen ($1.35 million) meant to help her adjust to non-royal life.
Though Mako will earn rights afforded to regular Japanese citizens, including the right to vote, she and Komuro plan to move to New York upon marrying, reports NBC News.
“She has chosen a harsh path of thorns,” Tokoro said.
source: people.com
