Japan’s former princess leaves for US with her commoner husband

Japan’s former Princess Mako, the elder daughter of Crown Prince Akishino, at a boarding gate before flying to New York (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

A Japanese princess who gave up her royal status to marry her commoner college sweetheart has left for New York, as the couple pursue happiness as newlyweds and leave behind a nation that has criticised their romance.

The departure of Mako Komuro, the former Princess Mako, and Kei Komuro, both 30, was carried live by Japanese broadcasters, showing them boarding a plane amid a flurry of camera flashes at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.