I usually don’t cover Japan’s royal family. Actually, I’ve never covered them before, but I have read articles about poor Princess Masako, the Crown Princess of Japan. She was an educated, professional woman when she married Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993. According to my five-minute research on Wikipedia, Naruhito was enchanted with Masako for many years, and proposed to her three times before she finally agreed to marry him. The marriage has produced only one child, a daughter named Princess Toshi. The Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan is even more sexist than Europe’s royal houses and many believed that Naruhito and Masako should have worked harder to provide a male heir. This criticism – focused mainly on Masako – led to Masako to basically become a recluse. She rarely appears in public and barely ever travels.

The reason I’m writing about Masako now is because she did step out last week, and after that, People Magazine had a fascinating write-up about what’s going on with her. You can read the full People article here, and here’s what I found interesting:

For many young girls, becoming a princess is a dream come true. But for Japan’s Crown Princess Masako, somewhere along the way, the fairy tale went wrong. The 50-year-old princess, who has lived a life largely in seclusion since 2002, made headlines this week for a rare public appearance at an imperial banquet honoring the Netherlands’ Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander.

For years, rumors have swirled about the notoriously private princess. Once a young Harvard grad with a promising career as a diplomat ahead of her, she gave it all up to marry Crown Prince Naruhito, now 54. And then – she vanished from public life. Princess Masako withdrew behind the walls of the Imperial Palace, amid reports that she had suffered a nervous breakdown and speculation that it was the result of being unable to produce a male heir.

Japanese royal officials have said only that she suffers from an “adjustment disorder,” though many speculate that depression is the real culprit.

Prince Naruhito, who appears totally devoted to his wife, has defended her from detractors, memorably saying in 2004 that the princess was “completely exhausted” from trying to fit into the royal household, which he added had “nullified her career and nullified her character.”

But over the years, other events appear to have driven Princess Masako further into isolation.

In 2006, her sister-in-law, Princess Kiko did what Masako couldn’t and gave birth to a son, Prince Hisahito. He is third in line to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. Since then, Kiko, 48, has enjoyed a beloved-celebrity status that still eludes Masako.

“Princess Kiko was courageous to give birth to a third child in a society of low birthrate,” said House of Councilors president Chikage Ogi in 2006. “This is what women should learn from her.”

For all of her impressive accomplishments, Princess Masako is still, and likely will always be, defined by her inability to produce a male heir in the rigid Japanese monarchy. Could the tragic story have a happy ending? One can only hope that this week’s appearance brings more public outings, and hopefully, some peace for the princess.

[From People]

I’m sure there are people much more familiar with Japanese cultural norms, but it seems like Masako’s issues are rarely spoken of in compassionate terms in Japanese society, and that a royal woman dealing with some kind of depression or anxiety disorder is seen as somehow “damaged.” It’s sad. I feel for Masako and I hope she’s getting help from doctors. I like that her husband seems to always stand up for her.

Photos of Masako, courtesy of Getty. Photos of Masako from 2013, courtesy of WENN.