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'Princess Victoria Kawekiu Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kaiulani Cleghorn, Crown Princess of Hawaii' (October 16, 1875 – March 6, 1899) was heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaii and held the title of crown princess. Kaiulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination. During the Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, she spearheaded a campaign to restore the monarchy by speaking before the United States Congress and pleading with U.S. Presidents Benjamin Harrison and later Grover Cleveland. Her life story grew to legendary proportions after her untimely death.

Contents

Early years

Education

During the overthrow

Later years

After death

References

External links

Early years

Victoria Kaiulani was born in Honolulu. It is through her mother that Kaiulani is descended from High Chief Kepookalani, the first cousin of Kamehameha the Great. Kaiulani's father was a Scottish financier from Edinburgh and former Royal Governor of Oahu Archibald Cleghorn. Kaiulani was named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, whose help restored the sovereignty and independence of the Kingdom of Hawaii during the reign of Kamehameha III. The name ''Kaiulani'' translates from the Hawaiian language as the ''highest point of heaven''. Upon her birth, Kaiulani was gifted the estate of Ainahau in Waikiki by her godmother. Kaiulani became mistress of Ainahau at the age of 11 upon the death of her mother.
In 1881, King David Kalakaua tried to arrange a marriage between Kaiulani and Japan's Prince Komatsu Akihito in hopes of creating an alliance between Japan and the Kingdom of Hawaii. However, the prince declined, as he was already pre-arranged to marry a Japanese noble lady.

Education

Because Princess Kaiulani was second in line to the throne after her elderly and childless aunt, it was predicted that the young girl would eventually become Queen. King Kalakaua, Queen Kapiolani, Cleghorn, and the Princess talked about the issue and it was determined that it would be in the young Princess's best interests that she be given a British education. In 1889, at the age of 13, Kaiulani was sent to Northamptonshire, England to be given a private education at Great Harrowden Hall. She excelled in her studies of Latin, Literature, Mathematics, and History there. She continued to study in England for the next four years, despite the fact that she had originally been told that she would only be studying in Britain for one year. Her overseers from Hawaii had planned for her to take a trip around Europe and had even arranged for her to have an audience with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, but all was cancelled and she went to New York. In New York, she made many speeches and public appearances denouncing the annexation of her country. She later moved on to Washington, D.C, but none of her negotiations helped. The country was annexed.
The Princess grew up knowing painters Joseph Dwight Strong and Isobel Strong, and one of them may have given her art lessons. Her few surviving paintings demonstrate considerable talent.

During the overthrow

During her absence, much turmoil occurred back in Hawaii. King Kalakaua died in 1891 and Princess Lydia Liliuokalani became Queen. Liliuokalani immediately appointed Kaiulani as her heir, and Kaiulani became the Crown Princess. In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown. The news arrived to Kaiulani on January 30, 1893 in a short telegram that said: "'Queen Deposed', 'Monarchy Abrogated', 'Break News to Princess'".
Kaiulani decided to take action and traveled to the United States the following month. She traveled through New York City and Boston where she attended numerous press conferences and banquets. She then went to Washington DC where she met with President Grover Cleveland and his wife at the White House. She made a good impression and Cleveland promised to help her cause. Kaiulani felt satisfied that something would be done and returned to England. However, when Cleveland brought forth Kaiulani's case to Congress, the United States Senate refused to help. The situation in Hawaii did not improve, and Kaiulani grew impatient. Over the next few years, Kaiulani remained in Europe. There, she received news in 1894 that her childhood friend and famed author, Robert Louis Stevenson, had died and that a new Republic of Hawaii had been established. Her health slowly began to deteriorate. Kaiulani's health worsened when she learned that her half-sister, Annie Cleghorn, had died in 1897 and her guardian from England, Mr. Davies, had also died.

Later years

Kaiulani returned to Hawaii in 1897. The return to a warmer climate did not help her health at all, as she had spent more than seven years in Europe. Her health continued to deteriorate as she struggled to readjust to the subtropical climate of the Hawaiian islands. However, she continued to make public appearances at the urging of her father.
Kaiulani was famous for her love of peacocks, and she kept the animals on her estate. For this reason, another name for her is the "Peacock Princess". It was said that when she died, her peacocks screamed.
In 1898, while on a horse ride in the mountains of Hawaii Island, she got caught in a storm and shortly came down with a fever. Kaiulani was brought back to Oahu where her health continued to decline. She died on March 6, 1899 at the age of 23. Some Native Hawaiians believe that Kaiulani died of a broken heart, having suffered many losses in her life. Her father also said that he thought that since Hawaii was gone, it was fitting for Kaiulani to go as well.

After death

After her death, her aunt, the deposed Queen Liliuokalani, recognized another relative, David Kawananakoa as the heir of Hawaiian Royal House, and adopted him.
In 1999, a bronze statue cast by Jan Gordon Fisher was dedicated in the triangle park at Kanekapolei and Kuhio Avenues in Waikiki, Honolulu. In 2001 Ellen Emerson White published a book of the Royal Diaries Series on her early life titled ''Kaiulani, the People's Princess, Hawai'i, 1889''.

References

★ Severson, Don R., "Finding Paradise, Island Art in Private Collections", University of Hawaii Press, 2002, 85-87.

External links

★ http://kaiulani.freeservers.com/

★ http://www.electricscotland.com/history/women/wh36.htm

★ http://www.princess-Kaiulani.com/pr_about.htm

★ http://www.hawaiischoolreports.com/history/Kaiulani.htm

★ http://www.urbanmozaik.com/member_fea_archives/arc_princess.html

★ Honolulu Advertiser: "Movie about Princess Ka'iulani to start production in fall (2007)"