Royal Family of Hawaii Official Website

H.R.H Princess Kaʻiulani
1875-1899

H.R.H. Princess Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn was the daughter of H.R.H. Princess Likelike, a sister of H.M. King Kalākaua & H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani. Her father was Archibald Cleghorn, a Scottish from Edinburgh. Kaʻiulani was born in Keoua Hale, the palatial home of H.R.H. Princess Ruth Keʻelikolani on October 16, 1875 and was pronounced by King Kalakaua as second in line to the throne after her aunt Princess Liliʻuokalani. She was then sent to Northhamptonshire England to be given a private education at the age of 13 to groom her for the future position to rule the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Later, when Princess Liliʻuokalani ascended the throne, she proclaimed Princess Kaʻiulani the Crown Princess, and heir to the throne on March 9, 1891.

Unfortunately, her aunt, Queen Liliʻuokalani was illegally overthrown by revolution with the aid of the United States on January 17, 1893. The news arrived to Kaʻiulani on January 30th while she was still in England being educated, upon hearing the news she immediately made this statement:

"Four years ago, at the request of Mr. Thurston, then a Hawaiian Cabinet Minister, I was sent away to England to be educated privately and fitted to the position which by the constitution of Hawaii I was to inherit. For all these years, I have patiently and in exile striven to fit myself for my return this year to my native country. I am now told that Mr. Thurston will be in Washington asking you to take away my flag and my throne. No one tells me even this officially. Have I done anything wrong that this wrong should be done to me and my people? I am coming to Washington to plead for my throne, my nation and my flag. Will not the great American people hear me?"

She then traveled to the United States releasing this statement:

"Seventy years ago, Christian America sent over Christian men and women to give religion and civilization to Hawaii. Today, three of the sons of those missionaries are at your capitol asking you to undo their father’s work. Who sent them? Who gave them the authority to break the Constitution which they swore they would uphold? Today, I, a poor weak girl with not one of my people with me and all these ‘Hawaiian’ statesmen against me, have strength to stand up for the rights of my 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!"

Unfortunately, the United States of America made no effort to undo the overthrow that the U.S. President Cleveland found to be in clear violation of International Law caused on their behalf and further secured a fraudulent annexation of the Hawaiian islands.

Kaʻiulani later returned to Hawaiʻi and was engaged to marry H.H. Prince David Kawananakoa in 1898, but unfortunately she died within a year. The beloved Princess Kaʻiulani died childless on March 6, 1899 at the age of 23, six years after the 1893 illegal overthrow which ended H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani's dynastic line of succession.