The INSIDER Summary:
- Japan's Princess Mako is engaged to law clerk Kei Komuro.
- They met in university and have been dating for five years.
- He's a commoner, so she has to give up her royal title to marry him.
- She doesn't seem to mind.
The first thing Princess Mako of Japan noticed about law clerk Kei Komuro was his "bright smile."
The two met as students at International Christian University in Tokyo and have been dating for five years. According to People, Komuro popped the question back in 2013.
The couple announced their engagment in May of this year, but the details are only just reaching the public after a press conference on Sunday.
After a traditional ritual solidifying their engagement called Nosai no Gi in which the groom presents gifts, they are expected to marry in the fall of 2018.
Princess Mako is the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, second in line to the Chrysanthemum throne, and Princess Kiko. Her 83-year-old grandfather, Emperor Akihito, is expected to abdicate next year and be succeeded by her uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito.
Women do not succeed the throne in Japan according to Imperial Household Law, so the 25-year-old princess will lose her royal title upon marrying a commoner. This is the eighth time a woman in Japan's royal family has given up her title to marry since World War II.
When she's no longer a princess, Mako will continue her work as a museum researcher while pursuing her doctorate.
Judging by her own bright smile at the press conference, she doesn't seem to mind too much.
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