Tale of Two Princesses

Apr 28, 2021Blog, Culture

Tale of Two Princesses

It’s always interesting to observe the contrasting behaviour between different  royal households.

Recently there has been somewhat of a kerfuffle in the house of Windsor.

Serious allegation have been made by a new member of the House of Windsor against the royal family.

meghan markle in a tiara

Prince Harry, being the product of a broken home, looks to still be having a tough go, regardless of the obvious privilege that comes along with being a prince.

Having one’s beloved mother, Princess Dianna dying at the vulnerable age of 13, undoubtedly has left deep and lifelong scars on the heart and soul of this melancholy prince.

Prince Harry military uniform

Furthermore, with these unpleasant family dynamics playing out in the gossipy world media, he must be thinking just as his mother said as she was taking her last breath’s at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, after her assassination, she said “just leave me alone!”

Princess Diana

In Japan as well there has been somewhat of a mini scandal recently.

Thankfully, this issue greatly pales in comparison to the systemic problems facing the house of Windsor.

The fiancé of princess Mako, Kei Komuro’s mother had some type of financial dispute with her former fiancé, concerning the education fees he shouldered for Mr. Komuro’s education.

Princes Mako with Komuro Kei

When this issue came to light, the marriage was quickly postponed while this family’s issue was resolved in private.

The word dignity comes to mind when contemplating how the younger generation of the royal family should conduct themselves as public figures.

One would think, a royal family member would carry out their duties with dignity and honour, regardless of how they happen to feel.

Life is full of choices, and luckily for princess Mako, she gets to exit the cloister world of the Japanese imperial household, and become a commoner after her marriage to Mr. Komuro.

I’m sure she is anxiously awaiting her departure from the Japanese imperial household agency, which is known for its extremely strict protocols, just ask Empress Masako.

Imperial palace of Japan

Alas, the same thing cannot be said for princess Meghan, as she signed up to enter the House of Windsor when she married prince Harry, and all things such a marrriage entails.

Windsor Castle, The Oldest Castles in The World

Regardless of one’s position in society, one does not just marrying the object of mutual love, but one also marries the entire family, crazy or otherwise.

Let’s examine what the meaning of dignity is:

Our beloved Empress Masako for example, was a very promising diplomat, destined for important positions inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

But no, she sacrificed her career to marry the emperor and by extension also married Japan, and become our Empress.

How this woman’s life would have been so vastly different if she had not become the empress one can only imagine.

However, bound by a deep sense of duty towards the nation of Japan, she indeed sacrificed her life, and has lived most of her adult days under the thumb of the hidebound Imperial Household Agency.

Furthermore, in any other circumstance, even having just one child is looked upon as a family blessing.

This is not the case for Empress Masako, as she and  Emperor Naruhito have one daughter, Princess Aiko.

The problem lies with a law imposed by the GHQ after the war decreeing only male heirs can succeed the Chrysanthemum Throne.

However, the male heirs to the Chrysanthemum throne has dwindled to just three.

Practically speaking, in terms of age, there is only one other person, Prince of Akishino, the Emperor’s younger brother to take the throne.

Recently, a real dialogue about gender equality in Japan has been stirred up again, and one believes this is an excellent opportunities for Japan to shake off the GHQ edict and make its own rules in what is strictly a private Japanese matter.

Why not princess Aiko taking a husband in the Japanese tradition known as “mukoiri”, which is not uncommon in Japan whatsoever.

The main wish for the Japanese royal family is for them to continue carrying out their official duties with dignity and honour, as they acts as representatives of the Japanese people, and as a symbol of peace and unity between Japan and the rest of the world.

Japanese Royal Family