TOKYO: It’s a fairytale in reverse. Her Imperial Highness Princess Sayako of Japan, scion of one of the world’s oldest monarchies, will marry her commoner fiance on Nov 15, becoming plain Mrs Sayako Kuroda.

Marriage to Yoshiki Kuroda, a Tokyo urban planner, means the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko must leave the sequestered environment of the Imperial family for a new life as a housewife.

No daughter of an emperor has married out since 1960 and Japan’s tabloid media are watching closely for clues as to how the reserved 36-year-old princess, a keen birdwatcher and student of traditional Japanese dance, will cope with the transition.

Freed from a busy round of formal ceremonies and public appearances, Sayako has also resigned from her part-time job, leaving uncertainty as to how she will spend her time.—Reuters