If you think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s marriage was the royal meets commoner love story of the year, think again. On Monday, Princess Ayako of Takamado in Japan officially renounced her royal title and relinquished her fortune after marrying her longtime boyfriend Kei Moriya, a non-royal employee of a Japanese shipping company, at a small ceremony at Tokyo’s historic Meiji Shrine.
Their union initially made headlines earlier this year after they announced their engagement to the world. According to Japan’s Imperial House Law, any female member of the royal family must abdicate any connection to the royal family in order to marry a commoner, which understandably added a lot of pressure to their engagement.
But Ayako didn’t seem at all bothered by her decision to do so on her wedding day. She told reporters that she was “filled with happiness” and that her late father, Prince Takamado, “would have rejoiced at my marriage.” As a nod to her father, Moriya wore a top hat during the wedding ceremony that once belonged to him. “I would like to support [Princess Ayako] firmly and, hand in hand, build a happy family with lots of laughter,” Moriya added after their wedding.
Here’s wishing these two the happily ever after they deserve.