There's a new princess at this year's Imperial New Year Gala -- as she turned twenty this year, Princess Mako gets to join in the festivities, wearing the new diamond tiara she debuted recently.  Her mother, Princess Kiko, is to her right, wearing her wedding tiara, and to Mako's left is Princess Hanako, wearing her usual fringe tiara.

I'm all for consistency, but man, why don't these princesses ever get to wear new tiaras/colorful dresses like the ladies beside them?

PHOTO CREDITS: yuko2ch.net

Happy birthday to a princess making her hattery debut on her twentieth birthday, and with a Tiara Alert, too!  This is Princess Mako, the daughter of Prince Fumihito and Princess Kiko of Japan (the Prince and Princess Akishino).  She's the eldest grandchild of the emperor and empress, and she's a college student studying in Tokyo.

Turning 20 is something of a marker of adulthood in the imperial family; Mako gave a press conference in which she talked about the devastating earthquake that struck her country earlier this year as well as her own plans for the future, including royal duties.  She also appeared in full court dress for the first time, debuting this diamond tiara.  Looks a lot like the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, doesn't it?

PHOTO CREDITS: AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi