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Mako Komuro, formerly Princess Mako, gave up her royal status to marry Kei Komuro, a commoner in 2021. After their wedding, the couple moved to New York City, where Kei works as a lawyer—but now it appears they are living in the suburbs, in a townhouse in Fairfield County, Connecticut. In photographs published by the New York Post, the couple and their baby are seen around town. “The Komuros spent a pleasant spring day shopping at a local cheese store, bakery and supermarket in the neighborhood of their new home in Fairfield County, Connecticut,” reports the paper.
The baby, whose name and gender have not been disclosed, is the first grandchild for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan. If Prince Akishino ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the baby will become the grandchild of the Japanese Emperor. “This is a matter for a person who has left the Imperial Family, and we had hoped that she would spend her time in a quiet environment,” Naomasa Yoshida, grand master of the Crown Prince’s Household, said in a press conference regarding sharing any details about the child, per Japan Times.
The Komuros have lived a remarkably quiet life since living Japan. “What I would like is to just lead a peaceful life in my new environment,” Mako said in 2021 before she left for New York. “We are starting a new life together. There will be obstacles in different forms going forward, but as a couple we will overcome these obstacles with our combined strength… I hope that I can build a warm family in an environment where I can spend my time calmly.”
As Tim Teeman wrote in Town & Country’s October 2025 cover story, “The world of royalty is many things—ostentatious, dramatic, and headline-making—but rarely is it as supremely discreet as Mako Komuro, formerly Princess Mako of the Japanese imperial family, who has managed to create a life of anonymity in gossip-, camera-, and event-saturated New York City.”
“If you passed Mako and Kei Komuro on the street, you wouldn’t recognize them,” Tom Sykes, author of the Daily Beast’s Royalist newsletter, told Teeman. “That’s what makes their story so striking. This is in obvious contrast to Harry and Meghan, who also left royal life behind but have pursued maximum visibility. As a result their life is a blizzard of books, Netflix deals, interviews, and Instagrams. What Mako and Kei have shown is that it is possible to leave a royal family and live a genuinely private life—if that’s what you really want.”
He added, “Mako and Kei have succeeded in stepping away without stepping into another spotlight, despite the fact that this was a huge story in Japan when they left. They’ve resisted the temptation to cash in and successfully disappeared into ordinary life. Mako and Kei’s relationship hasn’t been without sacrifice, and I’m sure they’ve faced challenges. But we don’t know what those are. And that’s the point.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.