After abandoning the royal family, Japan’s former princess Mako has left for the United States with her new “commoner” spouse, Kei Komuro.
The college sweethearts, who married last month, left Tokyo airport on Sunday morning with little fanfare.
Mr Komuro works at a legal company in New York, so they’ll rent an apartment there.
Female royal family members lose their rank when they marry a “commoner,” according to Japanese law.
As they walked through the departure terminal, they were being watched by police and airport security. They walked by approximately a hundred journalists who had gathered to see them go, but they did not answer questions.
Their move to New York had long been rumoured and Mako, who took her husband’s name upon their marriage, is reportedly expected to find a job in the city.
However, the couple faced a set-back to their plans last month when Japanese media reported that Mr Komuro had failed the New York state bar exam. Prospective lawyers have to pass the tests to practice law in the state.
Mr Komuro is currently working as a legal clerk.
The move to the US has drawn inevitable comparisons with British royals Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, earning the newlyweds the nickname “Japan’s Harry and Meghan”.
The couple faced significant opposition when they first announced their engagement four years ago and their relationship has been subject to tabloid gossip and controversy over claims that Mr Komuro’s mother had reportedly taken a loan from her ex-fiancé and not paid him back.
The coverage led to the then princess developing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Imperial Household Agency (IHA).
When the couple married last month they skipped the usual rites of a royal wedding and turned down a payment offered to royal females upon their departure from the family.
Mako, who is the niece of Emperor Naruhito, is the first female member of the royal family to decline both.