Japan's expectant Princess Kiko may be under intense scrutiny in the run-up to the birth of her third child, but on a recent engagement in Tokyo she gave no hint of being under pressure.
Impeccably turned out in a pale green shot silk suit and bowler-style hat, the 39-year-old royal smiled discreetly as she attended an environmental conference with her husband Prince Akishino.
The couple are set to welcome a new sibling for their two girls, 14-year-old Mako and Kako, 11, in September. Under present legislation if the child is a boy he would be third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, after his father and uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito.
Following her 1990 engagement to Akishino Kiko became the centre of a media frenzy, with young women emulating her clothes and hairstyle, but later the attention largely faded away. The question of the succession, which is at the forefront of Japanese minds at the moment, has put the princess back in the limelight recently.
No male has been born into the Imperial clan since 1965, but traditionalists have urged caution over altering the law to allow women equal rights to the throne.
In February, the doctor for the Imperial household, Ichiro Kanazawa, announced that Kiko and her husband don't wish to know their baby's gender. The royal medic also advised royal watchers to exercise restraint in speculating on the issue.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
