Japan's former princess Mako lands job at The Met after renouncing royal status
After giving up her royal titles to marry her college boyfriend, Japan's former princess Mako Komuro has found a new job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The former royal has been keeping a low profile in the Big Apple and is working as a volunteer curator assistant at The Met, according to Japan Times. She's helping prepare a new Asian exhibition at the museum, which will showcase works depicting scenes from the life of prominent monk Ippen who introduced Buddhism to the masses by chanting prayers while dancing.
The 30-year-old lost her title after she wed Kei Komuro, who she met at International Christian University while she was studying cultural heritage and art. They got engaged in 2013 and tied the knot in October 2021 after years of controversy as the public did not support their relationship.
Women in the imperial family lose their royal status when they marry a commoner. They are, however, offered a $1.3 million payout from the Japanese government, which Mako turned down.
Mako also studied art history at the University of Edinburgh and got a master's degree in art museum and gallery studies from the University of Leicester, making her qualified for the job at the Met.
The ex-princess and Komuro moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Hell's Kitchen in New York in November last year after their nuptials.