Empress Masako is a Harvard- and Oxford-educated former career diplomat who married into Japan's imperial family more than 25 years ago, and became known for her struggles to adapt to one of the world's oldest royal families.The 55-year-old, the second commoner after former Empress Michiko, 84, to wed the first in line to the throne, withdrew from all official duties after developing a stress-related illness some 15 years ago, but has been gradually expanding the scope of her activities in recent years.These have included visiting children at welfare facilities and learning about animal the…READ FULL ARTICLE
