Masako Owada: Japan's 21st Century Princess

Masako Owada, the soon-to-be bride of the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne, is no shrinking violet

Back when she was a student at Harvard, Masako Owada introduced some of her friends to a card game called Emperor. The various players drew titles from emperor to commoner. Funny thing was that Owada always managed to win: when she played she always turned out to be empress.

Who says that cards do not deal the hand of fate? Owada seems to have the world at her feet. On June 9 she will marry Crown Prince Naruhito, who will be the next Emperor of Japan, the world's oldest monarchy. The Japanese royal family does not have private wealth like Britain's...

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