Japanese Princess Mako celebrates her last imperial birthday before her wedding
Japanese Princess Mako celebrated her 30th birthday on Saturday, her last as a member of the imperial family, before marrying her boyfriend days later.
Her marriage to Kei Komuro, a commoner, on Tuesday means she will become an ordinary citizen under laws that state that female members of the imperial family cannot retain their royal status after such a marriage.
The Imperial Household Agency released photos of Mako walking around the imperial lands with her younger sister, but the princess did not make any comments on her birthday.
The three-year engagement between Princess Mako and Komuro sparked controversy that amounted to scandalous, which began when a newspaper reported that Komuro was involved in a financial scandal.
The agency had said at a press conference in early October that Princess Mako had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the intense media scrutiny her engagement came under.
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