“Japanese Princess Mako quietly married a commoner without traditional wedding celebrations Tuesday and said their marriage – delayed three years and called unfit by some – ‘was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts.’ The marriage to Kei Komuro cost Mako her royal status and she has taken her husband’s surname – the first time she has had a family name.”
“Most Japanese women must abandon their own family names upon marriage due to a law requiring only one surname per married couple. The couple’s marriage document was submitted by a palace official Tuesday morning and made official, the Imperial Household Agency said. There was no wedding banquet or other marriage rituals for the couple. Their marriage is not celebrated by many people, the agency has said. ‘For me, Kei-san is a priceless person. For us, our marriage was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts,’ Mako told a televised news conference, using an honorific in speaking of her husband” – AP.