Japanese princess and a reverse Cinderella story

Who is not familiar with William Shakespeare's masterpiece, Romeo & Juliet? Two lovers fighting against the world to commemorate their love. We have all heard of love stories where love won against all patriarchy. The former princess of Japan, who is now known as Mako Komuro has a similar tale.

Princess Mako of Akishino is the first child of the current emperor's younger brother, Prince Akishino, and his wife, Princess Kiko. Born in October 1991, she initially followed the royal tradition and attended Gakushuin school, where members of the royal family usually studied. But she soon decided to switch schools and attended Tokyo's International Christian University, where she studied art and cultural heritage and spent a year at the University of Edinburgh. Little did she know, this decision was about to change her entire life. 

Because this is where she met Mako Komuro. It was love at first sight for Mako. She recalled later in an interview how his radiant smile impressed her when they first met. However, like any other classic love story, they also had to go through many ups and downs but their struggles became international news. Before finally tying the knot in October 2021, the couple faced immense public backlash in the media, and Mako found it difficult to deal with it all. It reached a point where they even had to postpone their wedding shortly after announcing it.

Despite the public scrutiny surrounding their relationship, Mako and Kei have always believed in the power of their love. And finally, the princess decided to give up her royal titles in order to marry her true love. She even declined the $1.3 million payment made to women who lose their royal status when they marry a commoner. And this made Mako the first woman in history to ever refuse this payment.

The couple is now living in New York where Kei is working in a law firm and the former princess is working as a consultant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, popularly known as the MET. Their inspiring story once again proved that when your love is genuine, nothing in this world matters.