Japan's Princess Mako gave up her crown for love. She joins a long list of royals to do so

Corrections and clarifications: This version has been updated to reflect that King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne.

When Japan’s Princess Mako married her college sweetheart, Kei Kumoro, who happened to be a commoner, this week, she lost her royal status because of Imperial House Law. 

With that, she joined a long list of royals who gave up their royal status for love – including another Japanese royal, Princess Ayako, who gave up her title in 2018 to marry Kei Moriya. 

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