Japan’s former Princess Mako seen with husband in NYC after relocating and giving up her titles

Japan’s former Princess Mako and her husband, Kei Komuro, are getting comfortable in their new home.

The newlyweds were spotted on Sunday, December 12, going for a stroll in New York City, where the pair moved last month following their wedding ceremony. 

Since the law in Japan requires a princess to “leave the imperial family upon marriage to a commoner,” Princess Mako gave up her royal titles to marry Komuro. She also turned down a $1.3 million payout from the Japanese government that is traditionally paid to royal women who lose their royal status when they marry.

For the outing, Mako and Komuro kept things low key in coordinating outfits, both wearing army green and grey ensembles with matching white face masks.

This comes about a month after Princess Mako and Komuro arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in NYC on November 15, just a few weeks after their wedding. They couple is renting an apartment in the Big Apple, according to the BBC, where Komuro works at a law firm after graduating from Fordham University’s law school.

According to reports earlier this month, Komuro failed the bar exam, though he plans to retake the test.

Mako and Komuro met while they were both attending a study-abroad event at a restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo. At the time, they were both students at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

In December 2013, Komuro proposed over dinner, and their long-distance relationship quietly continued while Mako studied for her master’s degree overseas. She graduated in Art Museum and Gallery Studies in January 2016 from England’s Leicester University.

The couple first announced their plans to wed four years ago in September 2017, but the ceremony was ultimately pushed off following a dispute over money between Komuro’s mother and her former fiancé concerning his having financed Komuro’s education.

Ultimately, they tied the knot on October 26, 2021 in a private ceremony unlike most Royal weddings. The Imperial Household Agency (IHA) explained that Mako and her now-husband did not want to have a big wedding “because their marriage is not celebrated by many people.”

After dealing with so many hardships to get here, it seems like the couple is happy in their new home.