hellomagazine.com

AIKO SETS OUT ON HER FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

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11 APRIL 2006

Her face wearing a slightly bemused expression, Princess Aiko of Japan was clearly experiencing the trepidation mixed with excitement felt by all children on their first day of school, as she embarked upon her formal education this week.



The four-year-old princess, who was looking especially cute in her smart navy blue uniform with red piping and matching hat, held on tightly to the hand of her father, Crown Prince Naruhito, as the family strolled to the official entrance ceremony at Tokyo's Gakushuin Kindergarten. And, like any mother parting from her daughter for the first time, Princess Masako couldn't resist fussing affectionately over the youngster, at one point reaching over to adjust her hat strap.

This new phase in her daughter's life must represent an especially momentous change for the Crown Princess, who has only recently begun to re-emerge into the public eye after a stress disorder led her to retire into the privacy of family life during the last few years. As she smiled and raised a shy hand at photographers waiting at the school entrance, for a moment, however, Masako was simply another proud mum watching her pride and joy take their first step into the big wide world.