Former Japanese Princess Mako Komuro of Akishino was spotted out and about with her commoner husband, Kei Komuro, in New York City. On Thursday, the happy couple strolled hand in hand down Midtown.
Mako (30) wore a simple pair of lace-up boots and a green skirt. Her long brown hair was pulled up loosely and her bangs left messy.
The 30-year-old husband was also dashing and cut an elegant figure wearing a blue shirt and black suit. A black belt, shoes and a gray-colored laptop bag were his accessories. His hair was also pulled back in a ponytail.
They parted ways, Mako moved to Amish Market and Mako now frequents that grocery store.
They moved from London to Manhattan last October after she gave up her royal title in order to wed her college sweetheart.
Mako and Komuro are thought to have financial independence and kept a low profile, despite living in an exclusive one-bedroom apartment.
The former Japanese Princess Makokomuro of Akishino was seen walking around New York City Thursday with her commoner husband Kei Komuro
They strolled together through Midtown, the former princess showcasing a casual figure in a green skirt with a black sweatshirt.
After giving up her noble rank, the former princess was eligible for a $1.3million payout from Japan’s government. But she declined it.
Mako, the great-niece of the reigning Emperor Naruhito has apparently been making good use of her knowledge of art history through reportedly volunteering unpaid at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to Japan Times, “She was specifically involved in the preparation of an exhibition of paintings inspired from the life of a monk of 13th century Japan who traveled through Japan while he introduced Buddhism,”
Mako graduated from International Christian University Japan with a degree on art and cultural heritage. She met her husband there.
She wore a black suit, with a blue shirt, and carried a laptop bag.
As they walked through the Big Apple, both pulled their hair back into ponytails. Since their wedding, the couple has lived here together.
Her studies of art history were at the University of Edinburgh. She then received her master’s of art museum and gallery studies degree from the University of Leicester.
She is “qualified” and will probably handle the pieces of the collection. People were told that the work requires preparation in general and involves a lot time spent in the library.
Her husband, however, is trying to make a career out of the art industry while she works.
Three months prior to his marriage, Mako was a New York State Bar Exam candidate. However, it was discovered in November that Mako had failed the exam.
According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, he phoned Okuno Yoshihiko — the head of a law firm in Japan where he previously worked — to tell him he didn’t pass.
Komuro took the test for the second consecutive time in February. However, he was not listed among the people who passed the examination when they were posted online in April.
New York doesn’t place any limit on how many people can attempt the exam. This means that a person can try it as many times and as often as they want.
In late July, the next bar will be offered.
Komuro worked previously at a Japanese bank before moving to New York City for law school. When he was just five years old, his father passed away. His widowed mother Kayo raised him.
Mako met him in 2013, while they were studying together at the International Christian University, Tokyo. In 2017, the couple became ‘unofficially married’. They had intended to wed in November 2018.
Initially, the news was greeted with delight in Japan, but then a scandal grew up when it was discovered that his mother, Kayo, had not repaid a 4 million yen ($35,000) loan from a former fiancé, partly to pay his tuition.
Komuro’s controversy led to criticisms who suggested Komuro married the former-princess only for fame or money.
Later, she was seen heading towards Amish Market with a matching bag.
She was photographed walking alongside a wall of colourful flowers as the ex-princess
Komuro made a 24-page declaration about the money. His mother claimed it was a donation and not a loan. He eventually said that he would repay it but it isn’t known if it ever was.
Komuro and Mako remained in love despite all the difficulties. Mako announced she would continue the marriage plans for 2020.
‘We are irreplaceable to each other — someone to rely on during both happy and unhappy times,’ she said. “So, a marriage is an essential choice to allow us to preserve and protect our feelings while we live.
Mako was restricted from marrying commoners by the Japanese imperial families.
After their marriage, she took a new surname and now is Mako Komuro. To travel she also needed a passport, which was something that she did not need to be a princess.
Mako cannot live anymore in the Imperial Palace. Komuro and Mako will no longer be in line for male-only emperorship succession. Even after her divorce, she can’t return to the Dynasty.
Under the current Imperial Household Law only three Mako relatives are eligible to succeed Emperor Naruhito (62), including his uncle Masahito and Prince Hitachi, who is 86 years old.
Mako’s 56 year-old father Prince Fumihito who is the emperor’s brother, as well as her 15-year old brother Prince Hisahito are the others.