John and Jenny Fulton

Real International Princesses: Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulani

By Jenny Fulton

Introduction

My book, An International Princess Alphabet Primer, features princesses from countries and cultures around the world. Each character is named after a real person. These are their stories.

Because the alphabet book was written for young kids, the biographies I’m sharing are short, child-friendly, often rose-tinted summaries.

H: Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulani

Hawaiian Flag Image by jorono from Pixabay

Hawaiian Princess Ka’iulani is named for Princess Ka’iulani, the last princess of Hawaii.

Ka’iulani’s full name was Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn. In Hawaiian, Ka’iulani means “the highest point of heaven.”

Because she loved peacocks so much, she is sometimes called the “Peacock Princess.”

Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island and other famous books, was one of Ka’iulani’s good friends. He called her “the island rose” and wrote a poem about her.

Princess Ka’iulani was born on October 16, 1875. Her dad was a Scottish businessman, and her mom was the sister of the Hawaiian King. When Ka’iulani was young, she was quiet and shy. But she was also very active, smart, funny, and had many friends. She loved to surf, swim, ride horses, dance, sing, and play the ukulele.

When the princess was 11 years old, her mom died. Since her uncle didn’t have any kids, Ka’iulani became an heir to the throne. Her uncle king, whom Ka’iulani called Papa Moi, talked to her dad about preparing Ka’iulani to be queen one day.

Papa Moi taught her the Hawaiian Declaration of Rights of 1840. “God has made of one blood, all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth in unity and blessedness. God has bestowed certain rights alike on all men, all chiefs, and all people of all lands.”

On May 10, 1889, when Ka’iulani was 13 years old, she traveled to England to receive the education she’d need to rule her country. She studied Latin, Literature, Math, History, French, and German. She also became very good at painting. Ka’iulani worked hard. She loved her Hawaiian people and wanted to help them as much as she could. She looked forward to being queen and being able to help them even more.

But almost four years later, on January 17, 1893, men who worked in the Hawaiian government overthrew the monarchy. They wanted the island to be part of the United States and that couldn’t happen if there was a king and queen.

Ka’iulani was so sad and disappointed that she traveled to the United States to speak to the president. She felt like her home and people were being unfairly taken away from her. She told the American people, “Even now I can hear their wail in my heart, and it gives me strength and courage and I am strong – strong in the faith of God, strong in the knowledge that I am right, strong in the strength of seventy million people who in this free land will hear my cry and will refuse to let their flag cover dishonor to mine!”

Ka’iulani told President Grover Cleveland everything she knew about who had overthrown the Hawaiian government and how they’d done it. Cleveland listened to her and sent men to Hawaii to discover the truth. When they realized the overthrow hadn’t been good, the president refused to allow the island to became part of the U.S. He tried to help Ka’iulani and her family return to the throne. However, a few years later, on July 6, 1898, the next president, William McKinley, accepted the Hawaiian islands into the United States. The island monarchy was officially over.

Hawaiian Rose Image by MD SERAJUL ISLAM from Pixabay; Iolani Palace Image from Pixabay

Other Princess Bios

Works Sited

Fahrni, Jennifer. “Princess Kaiulani: Her Life and Times” The Princess Kaiulani Project; 2009. http://princesskaiulaniproject.com/about_princess_kaiulani.htm

“Ka’iulani Facts for Kids” Kiddle; July 13, 2024. https://kids.kiddle.co/Ka%CA%BBiulani

“The Tragic Story of Princess Ka’iulani, ‘The Island Rose’ of Hawaii” Five Minute History; Nov. 7, 2024. https://fiveminutehistory.com/the-tragic-story-of-princess-kaiulani-the-island-rose-of-hawaii/

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