WEBVTT - The Princess and the Commoner

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim

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<v Speaker 1>and Mild from Aaron Manky listener discretion advised. It's an

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<v Speaker 1>age old trope, a royal and a commoner falling in love.

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<v Speaker 1>It all started, of course, at least if you were

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<v Speaker 1>a disney kid like me, with Cinderella, a tale whose

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<v Speaker 1>actually oldest known version dates back to the late first

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<v Speaker 1>century BC, when the Greek historian Strabo recorded the tale

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<v Speaker 1>of Rhodopis, an enslaved girl who married the king of Egypt.

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<v Speaker 1>Then there are the countless versions of Cinderella across cultures,

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<v Speaker 1>and plenty of stories with different takes on the commoner

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<v Speaker 1>royal formula, the Princess Bride, Roman holiday, the one where

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<v Speaker 1>Julia Stiles goes to college with the Prince of Denmark.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a trope that has sold count less romance novels

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<v Speaker 1>and earns the Hallmark Channel a significant chunk of their

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas season prophet. Because of the nature of the trope,

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<v Speaker 1>many of these stories share a central conflict, do you

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<v Speaker 1>choose love or do you choose duty? For Princess Mako

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<v Speaker 1>of Akashino, now known simply as Macho Kumuro, the choice

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<v Speaker 1>was clear quote for me, Kai is irreplaceable, Macho told

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<v Speaker 1>the press of her now husband. Marriage was a necessary

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<v Speaker 1>choice to be able to protect our hearts in a

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<v Speaker 1>cherishing way. We the two of us, will start our

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<v Speaker 1>new life. If Macho and Kay's story is ringing any bells,

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<v Speaker 1>you might have seen pictures of them out and about

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<v Speaker 1>in their new home of New York City, usually paired

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<v Speaker 1>with actual tabloid headlines like quote Japan's Princess Mako's shops

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<v Speaker 1>for towels at bed, Bath and Beyond and then gets

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<v Speaker 1>lost on her way home to Hell's Kitchen on week

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<v Speaker 1>after arriving in New York City to start a new

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<v Speaker 1>life with her commoner husband, or quote former Japanese Princess

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<v Speaker 1>Mako Kumuru looks loved up as she strolls hand in

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<v Speaker 1>hand with commoner husband in New York City after he

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<v Speaker 1>failed bar exam for second time. Or maybe even quote

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<v Speaker 1>Princess Mako goes shopping at Amish Market in New York

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<v Speaker 1>as she's pictured for first time since her commoner husband

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<v Speaker 1>finally passed the bar exam on his third attempt. Mako

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<v Speaker 1>chose Kai, Yes, even with all those failed bar attempts,

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<v Speaker 1>But the reality of life in the Japanese royal family

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<v Speaker 1>meant that choosing a commoner wasn't really much of a

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<v Speaker 1>choice at all. There was no path for Mako to

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<v Speaker 1>become empress, with or without marriage. Women cannot inherit Japan's

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<v Speaker 1>chrysanthemum throne, and the country hasn't had an empress since

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen seventy one. On top of that, because Japan no

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<v Speaker 1>longer has nobility, all royals technically marry commoners, but where

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<v Speaker 1>a son's wife would be elevated to his royal status,

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<v Speaker 1>a daughter will be demoted to her husband's commoner status.

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<v Speaker 1>Mako's marriage would go on to ignite a debate about

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<v Speaker 1>feminism in Japan, about imperial succession, and about royal customs.

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<v Speaker 1>At the same time, she would face such intense backlash

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<v Speaker 1>and scrutiny that she would later announce a diagnosis with

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<v Speaker 1>c PTSD. But ultimately, this episode is a love story.

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<v Speaker 1>I love Maco. Ka told the press, we only get

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<v Speaker 1>one life, and I want us to spend it with

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<v Speaker 1>the one we love. I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is

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<v Speaker 1>noble blood. Mako Kimura was born Princess Mako of Akashino

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<v Speaker 1>on October twenty third, nineteen ninety one. Her father is Fumihito,

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<v Speaker 1>Prince Akashino, the younger brother and heir presumptive of the

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<v Speaker 1>Emperor of Japan, and Mako's mother is Kiko, Princess Akashino,

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<v Speaker 1>a former academic with no imperial ties. Before we get

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<v Speaker 1>further into Mako's life, we have to understand how succession

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<v Speaker 1>works in Japan. The line of succession is currently governed

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<v Speaker 1>by the Imperial Household Law of nineteen forty seven, enacted

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<v Speaker 1>under post World War II American occupation during the reign

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<v Speaker 1>of Emperor Hirohito, Mako's great grandfather. The new law had

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<v Speaker 1>dramatic effects, cutting ties with eleven out of twelve branches

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<v Speaker 1>of the imperial family and reducing the royal family to

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<v Speaker 1>the Emperor's immediate family and the families of his brothers.

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<v Speaker 1>This separation was intended to block the potential of using

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<v Speaker 1>another branch of the family to revive the militarism that

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<v Speaker 1>led to World War II. These quote parallel lineages, functioning

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<v Speaker 1>as the nobility and aristocracy historically existed to offer male

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<v Speaker 1>successors to the throne in the case the main line

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<v Speaker 1>could not produce an air while also serving as a

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<v Speaker 1>marriage pool for imperial princesses. The nineteen forty seven law

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<v Speaker 1>also stated that only a male child descended from a

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<v Speaker 1>male emperor could ascend the throne, and imperial princesses must

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<v Speaker 1>leave the royal family upon their marriage to a commoner.

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<v Speaker 1>The first princess to actually see the consequences of that

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<v Speaker 1>law was actually Hirohito's own daughter, Kazuko, who became the

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<v Speaker 1>first member of the imperial family to marry a commoner

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen fifty. But again, she didn't have a choice

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<v Speaker 1>three short years earlier, her husband had been considered a

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<v Speaker 1>prince and a nobleman before Maco. The most recent princess

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<v Speaker 1>to have left the royal family was her aunt Siako.

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<v Speaker 1>In two thousand and five, she married a town planner,

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<v Speaker 1>and she now holds a position as a high priestess.

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<v Speaker 1>The BBC reported that upon leaving the royal family with

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<v Speaker 1>her new husband, she had to learn how to drive,

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<v Speaker 1>shop in a supermarket and buy furniture. Mako was only

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<v Speaker 1>fourteen years old at that time, and while she knew

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<v Speaker 1>that she would one day have to give up her

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<v Speaker 1>title if she chose to marry, those worries could wait

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<v Speaker 1>she grew up with her younger sister, Princess Kako, and

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<v Speaker 1>later her younger brother, Prince Hishato. Born when she was fifteen,

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<v Speaker 1>she attended Gakushin School, originally designed solely to educate the

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<v Speaker 1>imperial children and children of aristocracy, for her primary through

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<v Speaker 1>high school years. The Japanese public knew and saw very

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<v Speaker 1>little of the princess during that time, with images of

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<v Speaker 1>her being released only through official palace channels. That changed

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand and four, when she was thirteen, images

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<v Speaker 1>of Mako in her sailor fuko, the iconic Japanese girls'

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<v Speaker 1>school uniform best known to Western audiences through anime like

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<v Speaker 1>Sailor Moon, appeared on television. A video featuring fan art

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<v Speaker 1>of the princess in her uniform was uploaded on the

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<v Speaker 1>Tokyo based video sharing website Nico Nicoduga and attracted over

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<v Speaker 1>a quarter of a million views and eighty six thousand comments.

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<v Speaker 1>When asked for their comment, the somewhat befuddled Imperial Household

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<v Speaker 1>Agency said they were unsure how to respond as the

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<v Speaker 1>video quote did not seem to be derogatory towards either

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<v Speaker 1>the princess or the imperial family. A very modern princess story.

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<v Speaker 1>In twenty eleven, Macho came of age when she turned

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<v Speaker 1>twenty and began attending official events as an adult member

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<v Speaker 1>of the royal family. She had already privately been working

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<v Speaker 1>as a volunteer in areas affected by the devastating twenty

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<v Speaker 1>eleven earthquake and tsunami, going so far as to use

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<v Speaker 1>a nickname to hide her true identity, although some people

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<v Speaker 1>still recognized her. During this time, she also began studying

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<v Speaker 1>liberal arts at Tokyo's International Christian University, and she studied

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<v Speaker 1>abroad for a semester in Dublin. When the Palace announced

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<v Speaker 1>her intentions, a spokesman was apparently asked if she would

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<v Speaker 1>be allowed to go out with Irish boys. Quote that's

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<v Speaker 1>not the sort of irresponsible question I can answer, he

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<v Speaker 1>replied curtly. Her time in Ireland was clearly inspiring. She

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<v Speaker 1>went on to study abroad for another semester at the

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<v Speaker 1>University of Edinburgh, and after graduating from the International Christian

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<v Speaker 1>University in twenty fourteen with her degree in Art and

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<v Speaker 1>Cultural Heritage, she went on to receive her Masters in Art,

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<v Speaker 1>Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of Leicester. She

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<v Speaker 1>put her degree to use when she took a position

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<v Speaker 1>as a project researcher at the University of Tokyo's University

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<v Speaker 1>Museum in twenty sixteen. It was during her time at

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<v Speaker 1>university that she met her future husband, K Komoro. They

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<v Speaker 1>were both students at the Christian University, but they met

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<v Speaker 1>attending a study a broad event at a Tokyo restaurant.

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<v Speaker 1>K was, by all means a normal student with no

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<v Speaker 1>royal ties, unless you count his title as quote Prince

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<v Speaker 1>of the Sea, a role he once played in a

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<v Speaker 1>tourism campaign for the city of Fujisawa. The couple has

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<v Speaker 1>kept the details of their courtship private, but we know

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<v Speaker 1>the Sea Prince proposed over dinner in twenty thirteen, and

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<v Speaker 1>then the couple maintained the relationship long distance while Mako

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<v Speaker 1>was in the UK. The engagement wouldn't be formally announced

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<v Speaker 1>until Nako returned and settled back into life in Japan

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<v Speaker 1>in twenty seventeen. Quote. I've been aware since my childhood

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<v Speaker 1>that I would lose royal status once I married, Macho

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<v Speaker 1>said at a press conference. While I've worked to help

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<v Speaker 1>the emperor and fulfill duties as a royal family member

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<v Speaker 1>as much as I can. I've been cherishing my own

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<v Speaker 1>life twenty five. This meant Macho was only a quote

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<v Speaker 1>official working member of the royal family for five years.

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<v Speaker 1>With the Emperor's approval, the princess introduced the country to

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<v Speaker 1>her future husband, a twenty five year old law firm

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<v Speaker 1>employee with no historic royal ties. She told the world

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<v Speaker 1>that she first fell for his quote smile like the sun,

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<v Speaker 1>he told them. She watched over him quietly, quote like

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<v Speaker 1>the moon. They planned to be married the next year.

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<v Speaker 1>The public response was initially positive, supportive of the princess

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<v Speaker 1>and her love story, but as we all know, that

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<v Speaker 1>can change on a dime. The engagement of Macho and

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<v Speaker 1>k was doomed to be plagued by concerns and scandals

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<v Speaker 1>that didn't actually involve the couple as individuals. The announcement

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<v Speaker 1>that Macho'd be leaving the royal fam family reignited the

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<v Speaker 1>now decades old debate as to whether or not royal

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<v Speaker 1>women should be allowed to retain their royal status upon

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<v Speaker 1>marriage and even potentially gain positions in the line of succession.

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<v Speaker 1>At the time of Mako's announcement, a poll from Kyoto

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<v Speaker 1>News showed that eighty six percent of those surveyed said

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<v Speaker 1>they were in favor of allowing a female to reign,

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<v Speaker 1>and about two thirds said that sons or daughters born

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<v Speaker 1>of royal women should also be allowed to ascend to

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<v Speaker 1>the throne. Still, for those in disagreement, the royal family

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<v Speaker 1>is one of the last remaining embodiments of tradition in Japan,

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<v Speaker 1>and any change within it is highly feared. The debate

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<v Speaker 1>was especially heated because at the same time Emperor Akihido

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<v Speaker 1>had given Macho and k his blessing, the Japanese government

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<v Speaker 1>was considering his request to abdicate. There was no legal

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<v Speaker 1>precedent for him to do so, and so he publicly

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<v Speaker 1>asked Parliament to amend the laws so he could pass

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<v Speaker 1>the title on to his eldest son. That law was passed,

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<v Speaker 1>and in twenty nineteen, Mako's uncle Naruhito, ascended to the throne.

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<v Speaker 1>There's a practical argument for letting women remain in the

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<v Speaker 1>royal family and or reign themselves. The line of succession

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<v Speaker 1>is incredibly short. The current line of succession is Mako's uncle,

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<v Speaker 1>then Mako's father, and then Prince Hisahito, Her seventeen year

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<v Speaker 1>old younger brother. That's it three people. It's clear that

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<v Speaker 1>the monarchy is not sustainable with the current laws of succession,

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<v Speaker 1>but the debate as to how the problem will be

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<v Speaker 1>solved rages on. The other public scandal was centered around

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<v Speaker 1>Kay's mother. As one would expect, the Japanese press dug

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<v Speaker 1>into his background, particularly his family. Less than a year

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<v Speaker 1>after the engagement was announced, tabloids reported that his mother,

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<v Speaker 1>a widow who raised him by herself, had borrowed four

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<v Speaker 1>million yen about thirty six thousand dollars from an ex

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<v Speaker 1>boyfriend and never paid it back. Part of the money

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<v Speaker 1>was reported to have paid for her son's schooling. Though

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<v Speaker 1>Kay himself had nothing to do with this, that didn't

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<v Speaker 1>matter in the eyes of the public. In a culture

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<v Speaker 1>that puts a lot of weight on family, he was

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<v Speaker 1>no longer considered princely. He was a gold digger looking

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<v Speaker 1>to use Mako in the royal family for their wealth,

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<v Speaker 1>never mind the fact that by marrying him she would

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<v Speaker 1>be leaving the royal family, who are not independently wealthy.

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<v Speaker 1>It was such an uproar that the wedding was delayed.

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<v Speaker 1>Mako told the press quote, I wish to think about

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<v Speaker 1>marriage more deeply and concretely. Shortly after that, in the

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<v Speaker 1>summer of twenty eighteen, Fordham Law announced that Kay would

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<v Speaker 1>be attending their school in the fall on a full

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<v Speaker 1>ride merit scholarship. Some speculated that he was being sent

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<v Speaker 1>away or that he had somehow manipulated his way into

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<v Speaker 1>the scholarship. In a news conference that same year, Miko's father,

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<v Speaker 1>Crown Prince Akashino, said he quote respected the desire of

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<v Speaker 1>the couple to wed, but that an official ceremony would

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<v Speaker 1>not take place unless the public approved. In twenty twenty,

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<v Speaker 1>at Akashino's urging, Kay released a twenty eight page document

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<v Speaker 1>explaining his mother's loan, and his lawyer later vowed that

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<v Speaker 1>mister Komor would pay it back. That didn't do much

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<v Speaker 1>to change public opinion of him. Things actually worsened when

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<v Speaker 1>photos of him appeared in New York with God Forbid

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<v Speaker 1>a ponytail. He was torn to shreds on social media,

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<v Speaker 1>with many believing the look was unkempt and unbecoming of

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<v Speaker 1>a princess's future husband. The engagement would remain in limbo

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<v Speaker 1>for years. The Emperor and Empress shared that the public

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<v Speaker 1>would quote wait for Princess Mako to make her own decisions.

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<v Speaker 1>It wasn't until twenty twenty one that the public finally

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<v Speaker 1>learned what that decision was. Mako and Kay were still

0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.360
<v Speaker 1>very much together and they would finally be married. The

0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.440
<v Speaker 1>lead of the New York Times article announcing they were

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<v Speaker 1>finally to be wed read quote, anyone who dreams of

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<v Speaker 1>being a princess should probably have a chat with Princess

0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:07.280
<v Speaker 1>Mako of Japan. Normally, a princess leaving the royal family

0:17:07.440 --> 0:17:12.199
<v Speaker 1>is entitled to official ceremonies marking her departure and a

0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:16.480
<v Speaker 1>dowry of about one point four million yen to start

0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:20.880
<v Speaker 1>her new life. Mico turned it all down. It made

0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:24.280
<v Speaker 1>her the first female member of the royal family to

0:17:24.400 --> 0:17:29.000
<v Speaker 1>refuse a dowry post World War II. In announcing why

0:17:29.040 --> 0:17:33.360
<v Speaker 1>there wouldn't be a royal wedding, the Imperial Household Agency

0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:37.680
<v Speaker 1>explained it was quote because their marriage is not celebrated

0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:41.920
<v Speaker 1>by many people. At the same time, it was also

0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:46.280
<v Speaker 1>announced that the princess had been diagnosed with complex post

0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:51.399
<v Speaker 1>traumatic stress disorder due to the public scrutiny quote, she

0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:54.640
<v Speaker 1>felt like her dignity as a human being had been trampled.

0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:58.919
<v Speaker 1>On Her psychiatrist said in a news conference, she thinks

0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:04.880
<v Speaker 1>of herself as so without value. Mako's CPTSD is part

0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.760
<v Speaker 1>of a sad history of women in the Japanese royal

0:18:07.840 --> 0:18:13.200
<v Speaker 1>family developing mental health struggles. In the nineteen sixties, Empress

0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:17.840
<v Speaker 1>Michiko lost the ability to speak for seven months and

0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:23.479
<v Speaker 1>continued to suffer from nervous breakdowns, mouth ulcers, nosebleeds, and

0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:27.640
<v Speaker 1>more physical complications due to the pressure of her position.

0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:32.560
<v Speaker 1>Her daughter in law, the current Empress Masako, retreated from

0:18:32.600 --> 0:18:35.520
<v Speaker 1>public events for a period of time beginning in two

0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:40.760
<v Speaker 1>thousand and four, after facing intense scrutiny for failing to

0:18:40.800 --> 0:18:45.960
<v Speaker 1>produce a male air. She had previously suffered a miscarriage.

0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:50.840
<v Speaker 1>Doctor Kristin Roebuck, an assistant professor at Cornell and historian

0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:56.760
<v Speaker 1>of modern Japan, explained this unique crisis to the cut quote,

0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.560
<v Speaker 1>whether you're marrying into the royal family like the current

0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:04.400
<v Speaker 1>Empress did, or you're marrying out of the royal family

0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:07.960
<v Speaker 1>like the former Princess Meko did, It's always understood in

0:19:08.040 --> 0:19:11.480
<v Speaker 1>Japan that the women are a temporary part of the

0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:14.760
<v Speaker 1>royal family, and so they just don't get the same

0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:21.159
<v Speaker 1>respect end quote. It's a complex task to discuss Japanese

0:19:21.359 --> 0:19:24.800
<v Speaker 1>gender politics, and it's not something we can give enough

0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:29.240
<v Speaker 1>time to today. But Western listeners might see parallels between

0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:35.639
<v Speaker 1>Mago's story and Megan Markles. Intense, often singularly vicious scrutiny

0:19:35.680 --> 0:19:39.240
<v Speaker 1>of women entering or leaving the royal family is not

0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:43.760
<v Speaker 1>unique to any one culture. The idea of a royal

0:19:43.880 --> 0:19:47.760
<v Speaker 1>family and everything it stands for, has always been threatened

0:19:48.080 --> 0:19:51.520
<v Speaker 1>by a woman who refuses to conform to and comply

0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:56.000
<v Speaker 1>with the pressures of both the family and the public,

0:19:56.520 --> 0:20:01.800
<v Speaker 1>and every tradition and standard that the royal family stands for.

0:20:02.880 --> 0:20:06.680
<v Speaker 1>On October twenty sixth, twenty twenty one, Maco and Kay

0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:10.520
<v Speaker 1>simply registered their marriage in Tokyo and held a press

0:20:10.520 --> 0:20:15.040
<v Speaker 1>conference afterward. Then, Mako began the process of obtaining her

0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:18.680
<v Speaker 1>first passport so the couple could move to New York.

0:20:19.280 --> 0:20:22.399
<v Speaker 1>The couple now live in a one bedroom apartment in

0:20:22.440 --> 0:20:26.439
<v Speaker 1>the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Kay eventually passed the bar exam

0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:29.560
<v Speaker 1>on his third try and is now an associate at

0:20:29.600 --> 0:20:33.639
<v Speaker 1>a New York firm. As of April twenty twenty two,

0:20:33.800 --> 0:20:37.520
<v Speaker 1>Mako was working as a volunteer at the Metropolitan Museum

0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:42.440
<v Speaker 1>of Art assisting curators in the Asian Art department. If

0:20:42.480 --> 0:20:46.200
<v Speaker 1>being an unpaid intern isn't the New York City experience,

0:20:46.600 --> 0:20:50.720
<v Speaker 1>I don't know what is. The most recent photos of

0:20:50.760 --> 0:20:54.960
<v Speaker 1>the couple are paparazzi shots from twenty twenty three of

0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:59.880
<v Speaker 1>the pair riding the bus together, his arm around her shoulder.

0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:08.520
<v Speaker 1>That's the story of the Princess of Japan marrying a commoner.

0:21:09.040 --> 0:21:12.520
<v Speaker 1>But keep listening after a brief sponsor break to hear

0:21:13.000 --> 0:21:18.200
<v Speaker 1>a slightly more dramatic story that happened to another female

0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:30.239
<v Speaker 1>member of the Japanese royal family. Meko was not the

0:21:30.240 --> 0:21:33.880
<v Speaker 1>first former Japanese princess to move to the United States

0:21:33.960 --> 0:21:39.560
<v Speaker 1>after marriage. Takako Shimazu, the youngest daughter of Emperor Hirohito,

0:21:40.160 --> 0:21:43.720
<v Speaker 1>was once known as Princess Suga, but her marriage to

0:21:43.840 --> 0:21:46.959
<v Speaker 1>a banker led to her spending two years in an

0:21:47.000 --> 0:21:51.320
<v Speaker 1>apartment in Washington, d c. When she returned to Japan,

0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:55.920
<v Speaker 1>she faced criticism for taking a position as a consultant

0:21:56.400 --> 0:22:00.280
<v Speaker 1>at an exclusive store in Tokyo, making her the first

0:22:00.440 --> 0:22:04.639
<v Speaker 1>member of the imperial family to hold a commercial job.

0:22:05.560 --> 0:22:09.920
<v Speaker 1>Those who criticized her life for being too ordinary may

0:22:09.960 --> 0:22:16.000
<v Speaker 1>have been forgetting one extraordinary incident, before Tacaco left for Washington,

0:22:16.480 --> 0:22:22.080
<v Speaker 1>she narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt by six men posing

0:22:22.160 --> 0:22:26.240
<v Speaker 1>as bill collectors. They attempted to gain entry to her home,

0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:30.680
<v Speaker 1>which they knew the location of thanks to extensive media coverage,

0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:35.639
<v Speaker 1>and unlike Mako, they knew Tacaco had not turned down

0:22:35.720 --> 0:22:40.400
<v Speaker 1>the dowry princesses are entitled to upon leaving the royal family.

0:22:41.480 --> 0:22:45.480
<v Speaker 1>The plan was not foiled by a sting operation or

0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:49.600
<v Speaker 1>a vigilante swooping in, but rather one of the potential

0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:53.320
<v Speaker 1>kidnappers himself, who tipped off the press that there was

0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:57.840
<v Speaker 1>a plan to kidnap the princess. A judge ultimately ruled

0:22:57.920 --> 0:23:01.320
<v Speaker 1>that the plan didn't get far enough to constitute an

0:23:01.320 --> 0:23:06.240
<v Speaker 1>attempted kidnapping, but the men were arrested for trespassing and

0:23:06.400 --> 0:23:10.879
<v Speaker 1>illegal possession of weapons and sentenced to prison for terms

0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:14.800
<v Speaker 1>ranging from eight months to three years. No one said

0:23:15.000 --> 0:23:27.000
<v Speaker 1>being a princess, or even a former princess, was easy.

0:23:32.080 --> 0:23:36.240
<v Speaker 1>Noble Blood is a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm and

0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:40.080
<v Speaker 1>Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me

0:23:40.359 --> 0:23:45.320
<v Speaker 1>Danish Forts with additional writing and researching by Hannah Johnston,

0:23:45.680 --> 0:23:51.119
<v Speaker 1>Hannah Zewick, Courtney Sender, Julia Milani, and Armand Cassam. The

0:23:51.200 --> 0:23:55.320
<v Speaker 1>show is edited and produced by Noemi Griffin and rima

0:23:55.560 --> 0:24:01.159
<v Speaker 1>Ill Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thain and executive producers

0:24:01.200 --> 0:24:05.840
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Manke, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts

0:24:05.880 --> 0:24:11.360
<v Speaker 1>from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:24:11.440 --> 0:24:12.840
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.