Princess Mako, new hubby move to New York after royal family exit
Former Japanese Princess Mako moved with her new hubby, commoner Kei Komuro, to the Big Apple on Sunday to start a new life after she exited the royal family.
The couple, who wed on Oct. 26 in an intensely-scrutinized ceremony, was seen boarding a plane from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to fly to New York on Sunday morning.
Mako and Komuro, both 30, will reportedly settle into a one-bedroom apartment in Gotham.
Komuro has a job as a clerk at a New York law firm. However, he has yet to pass the state’s bar exam, a professional setback that Japanese media have used to attack him.
Meanwhile, the former princess is in the process of securing a visa so she can also work in the US, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
The couple will be financially independent after Mako turned down a $1.23 million payment that she was entitled to upon leaving the royal family.
She was the first imperial family member since World War II to not take the payment, saying that she rejected it because of the criticism surrounding her marriage.
Mako met Komuro while attending Tokyo’s International Christian University a decade ago.
The former princess’ plans for marriage, which were announced in 2017, were plagued by controversy due to a financial dispute involving Komuro’s mother.
In a press conference after their wedding ceremony, the couple apologized for any issues caused by their marriage.
“To me, Kei is a very important, indispensable existence,” Mako said.
“Mako and I would like to build a warm, nice family,” Komuro added. “Happy times, unhappy times, we would like to be together, and we will be indispensable to each other.”
With Post Wires
