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Royalty
AsiaEast Asia

Forget Megxit: here are the Asian royals who turned their backs on their titles

  • In Japan, there is a tradition of royals giving up their titles when they marry commoners
  • However, not all such marriages in Asia have turned out to be happy, with one prompting scandalous claims of abduction

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Princess Ubolratana alongside former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra last year. Photo: AP
Kok Xinghuiin SingaporeandSCMP’s Asia desk
Briton royals Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, created a whirlwind of international headlines when they last week announced on Instagram they would “step back” from royal duties.
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When announcing their “exciting next step” they indicated they would seek to become financially independent while dividing their time between the UK and North America.
The departure of Harry and Meghan – which immediately became known on social media as “Megxit” – may have been driven by their desire for greater privacy. But they’re definitely not the first members of a royal family to tire of the glare of publicity. Here are several Asian royals who made similar decisions, for a variety of reasons.

Princess Ayako (Japan)

The youngest daughter of Akihito’s cousin followed in her aunt’s footsteps. She left the imperial household in 2018 after marrying a commoner, shipping firm employee Kei Moriya. After signing her marriage papers, Princess Ayako, 29, became Ayako Moriya.

Her departure left just 18 members in Japan’s Imperial Household and the shrinking royal family raised public concerns and provoked calls for changes in law, which also prohibits royal women from ascending the Chrysanthemum Throne despite the family having just four male heirs to the throne.

Princess Mako, Akihito’s eldest granddaughter, is expected to follow suit this year when she weds her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro, who works at a law firm.

Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya (Thailand)

Ubolratana Rajakanya, 68, is the first born child of former Thailand’s late king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, and Queen Sirikit. She studied in the US at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California before marrying an American man in 1972 and giving up her royal title.

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