Princess Mako's fiance Kei Komuro plans to study law in the United States from the summer, sources close to the matter said Thursday, after the couple postponed their marriage.

But the sources said the 26-year-old eldest granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, and Komuro, a commoner of the same age who attracted the spotlight last year as the man who won the princess' heart, still want to get married.

Komuro, who currently works as a paralegal at the law firm in Tokyo, plans to attend a law school in the United States for several years and hopes to gain U.S. lawyer qualification, the sources said.

The Imperial Household Agency announced the couple's planned engagement last September, but said in February the couple's scheduled wedding in the fall will be postponed until 2020, due to "lack of preparation."

It is rare that an imperial marriage is put off for such a reason. Weekly magazines have reported of a financial dispute involving Komuro's mother, but the agency denied the link between the postponement and alleged money trouble.

While working at the Tokyo law firm, Komuro has attended Hitotsubashi University's graduate school at night to study business law. He graduated from the school this spring, according to the sources.

(Kei Komuro and Princess Mako meet the press in Tokyo on Sept. 3, 2017)

Komuro was the princess' longtime boyfriend after the two first met at a 2012 gathering for those planning to study abroad. At the time, both were students at International Christian University in Tokyo.

The couple had expressed their delight at their engagement when they appeared before the public together for the first time in September.

But as the postponement of their wedding was announced, Princess Mako said through the agency, "We believe we have rushed various things."

The sources said Komuro will decide how to spend his days in the United States by consulting with the princess.