Japan’s princess Mako has postponed her marriage to a commoner, Kei Komuro, to 2020 with tabloids in the Asian country speculating the postponement was related to tabloid criticism of her fiance’s family background.
Mako and her college classmate announced their engagement last September. The two fixed their wedding, which would have changed Mako’s status to that of a commoner, for November this year.
However, in a shocking move, the Imperial Household Agency announced the wedding has been postponed.
The Palace cited “a series of important ceremonies next year,” apparently meaning the planned handover of the Chrysanthemum Throne.
No new dates for the wedding or its preceding rituals were given.
Mako is Emperor Akihito’s oldest grandchild. The 84-year-old emperor is to abdicate on 30 April 2019, with Crown Prince Naruhito taking the throne the next day.
The surprise delay, less than a month before a planned ceremony in March to formalize the couple’s engagement, left many people puzzled.
Mako said in a statement released through the agency the delay was due to insufficient preparations.
“We have come to realise the lack of time to make sufficient preparations for various events leading up to our marriage this autumn and our life afterwards,” she said.
“We believe that we have rushed various things too much.”.
