Japan's Princess Mako has tied the knot with her college sweetheart Kei Komuro - and as a result, has had her royal status revoked, BBC News reports.
Mako defied a Japanese law that prevents female imperial family members from marrying "commoners" if they want to keep hold of their title. Male members of the family are exempt from this gender-based law.
As reported by The Times, it is tradition in Japan that female members of the royal family who lose their status be handed a $1.3 million payout from the government.
However, Mako reportedly turned down the hefty sum - and is the first female Japanese royal to have done so.
It is believed that the couple plan to move to the US, where Komuro works as a lawyer. Needless to say, their re-location to the US has led to comparisons between themselves and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. As such, the couple has been dubbed "Japan's Harry and Meghan".
Similar to Markle, Komuro has been scrutinized by the press since his relationship with Mako was made public. Recently, he was slammed in his home country for wearing a ponytail on his return to Japan as it didn't quite fit the "noble" look.
On Tuesday, October 25, some royalists even protested against their marriage.
Mako and Komuro announced their engagement to the media back in 2017 but reportedly decided to put the wedding on hold as they needed additional time to plan for their future together.
The newlyweds, who both studied at the International Christian University in Tokyo, first met while at a study-abroad event at a restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo.
Komuro proposed to the princess while they had dinner in December 2013, but they only publicly spoke about their plans to tie the knot in September 2017.
In a press conference, Mako apologized to those who were hurt by her decision to choose love over tradition.
She said: "I am very sorry for the inconvenience caused and I am grateful for those... who have continued to support me. For me, Kei is irreplaceable - marriage was a necessary choice for us."
Mako also said of her and her new husband's initial courtship: "First I was attracted by his bright smile."