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Princess Ayako to marry commoner Kei Moriya
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Japanese Princess Ayako (R), the third daughter of the late Prince Takamado, and her fiance Kei Moriya attend a press conference to announce their engagement at the Imperial Household Agency in Tokyo on July 2 (AFP/Koji Sasahara)
P
rincess Ayako, the youngest daughter of Emperor Akihito's late cousin, is set to marry commoner Kei Moriya on Monday, relinquishing her royal status.
The 28-year-old princess and the 32-year-old employee at shipping firm Nippon Yusen K.K. will tie the knot in a traditional ceremony at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine, nearly a year after their first encounter.
The couple first met last December when they were introduced by Princess Ayako's mother Princess Hisako, who had long known Moriya's parents and met with the groom last November at a photo exhibition of a nonprofit organization supporting children in developing countries.
Princess Hisako, the widow of Prince Takamado who died in 2002, was hoping to spark her daughter's interest in international welfare activities by meeting with Moriya, who is a board member of the nonprofit group Kokkyo Naki Kodomotachi (Children without Borders).
Princess Ayako said at a press conference held in July after an official announcement of their upcoming engagement that she hit it off with Moriya from the beginning and enjoyed talking with him so much that she did not feel like it was their first meeting.
The two soon began courting and Moriya proposed to the princess earlier this year after the couple dined together at a restaurant. The princess said at the press conference that she accepted his offer in April as she was attracted to Moriya's "kind, smart and decisive" personality.
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Princess Ayako graduated from Josai International University in Chiba Prefecture and earned a master's degree there in 2016. She is currently working as a research fellow at the university's Faculty of Social Work Studies.
Moriya has an international background, having gone to a kindergarten in Paris, and attended schools in Switzerland and Britain before graduating from Tokyo's Keio University. He enjoys running in marathons and competing in triathlons.
After the nuptials, Princess Ayako will leave the imperial family as the Imperial House Law stipulates that women lose their royal title after marrying a commoner.
She will receive about 107 million yen ($950,000) from the state to maintain her dignity after her marriage based on the law on imperial household finance.
