The princesses of Japan and Thailand accepted to lose the title after marrying the common people, but not everyone was happy.

Harry and Meghan on January 8 surprised the public by announcing their withdrawal from senior positions in the British Royal Family, establishing a new charity and becoming "financially independent." Buckingham Palace then announced that it would no longer carry the title of Prince and the Princess, no longer participate in royal activities, nor will it represent Queen Elizabeth II when attending events.

Harry and Meghan's retreat from the royal family, also known by the media as "Megxit", is thought to stem from a desire to have a more private life. They were not the first royal members to appear tired of the "halo" and public scrutiny. Many princesses in Asia also choose civilian life after marrying people outside the royal family, especially in Japan.

Princess Ayako, cousin of Crown Prince Akihito, left the royal family in 2018 after marrying Kei Moriya, an employee of a shipping company. After signing the marriage certificate, the 29-year-old princess changed her name to Ayako Moriya. As a rule, women who are married to Japanese royalty become members of the royal family, but if they marry a commoner, they must leave.

Ayako, who has a master's degree in social welfare, has known her husband since December 2017 through the introduction of her mother, Princess Takamado. The princess met Moriya's parents while participating in an NGO operation. In addition to enjoying social welfare, the Moriya couple enjoy skiing, reading and traveling.

After Ayako lost the title, the size of the Japanese royal family shrank to 18 members, raising public concern about the increasing burden of carrying out royal duties and calling for a change in the rule of succession. Japan only allowed men to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne despite having only four male heirs.

The number of members is expected to drop to 17 this year, when Princess Mako, the emperor's eldest granddaughter, also plans to marry her lawyer Kei Komuro, her college friend. The two met in 2012 through a friend at an exchange party in a restaurant in Shibuya district, Tokyo. A year later, Komuro proposed to love Mako.

Before Ayako and Mako, many other Japanese princesses also accepted losing titles when marrying civilians. In 2005, Princess Nori, now 50, the only daughter of the late Crown Prince Akihito, married urban designer Yoshiki Kuroda and abandoned all subsidies from the state.

However, the Japanese government still decided to grant the Kuroda couple $ 1.29 million. After marriage, Princess Nori changed her name to Sayako Kuroda, had to pay taxes and was entitled to vote like the other citizens.

In 1950, Princess Taka, the elder sister of the Crown Prince, married ordinary people Toshimichi Takatsukasa and changed her name to Kazuko Takatsukasa. Her husband came from a noble family, but lost the title due to legal reform in Japan after the war.

Sixteen years later, Takatsukasa's body was found in a mistress's apartment, a receptionist at a nightclub in Ginza district, Tokyo. The cause of death is CO poisoning, leading to speculation this is a double suicide. Mr. Takatsukasa is said to want to die together with his lover because of the right to divorce and remarriage.

Princess Yori, Taka's sister, also followed her sister in 1952 when she married Takamasa Ikeda, an aristocrat she met at a tea party, then changed her name to Atsuko Ikeda. The couple moved to Okayama Prefecture and built a thriving cattle-raising business. In 1988, she replaced her sister Taka to become the priestess of Ise Shrine.

The Thai royal family had a similar situation when Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, the firstborn son of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sikirit, married Peter Jensen, an American man in 1972. The two acquaintances at the same time studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

By choosing to follow the call of love, Ubolratana accepted to lose the royal title and live a life "not in the traditional pattern". She had three children with her husband, but divorced in 1998. After returning to her hometown in 2001, she was granted the title "Tunkramom Ying", meaning "Daughter of the Queen of Regents" and was given the official title. Thai government officials consider it a royal member.

Last year, Ubolratana surprised the public by registering to be the prime minister candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart party, related to the Pheu Thai party founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. However, her political involvement was unsuccessful when King Maha Majiralongkorn ordered her sister to run for election, because the move "went against the country's traditions, customs and culture".