Princess Ka’iulani of Hawaii’s story is both inspiring and tragic. She was born in 1875, the daughter of mixed parentage, having a Scottish father and Hawaiian mother. She was beautiful, intelligent and talented and had a great sympathy for her people.

Ka’iulani lived a peaceful childhood among the royalty of Hawai’i and was even a friend of the Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. At the age of 13 she was sent to England to receive her education for the next four years. The Princess mastered many languages and subjects and expressed a desire to be a painter, at which she showed quite some talent. It was while she was in England that she received the news that her Kingdom, to which she was Crown Princess, had been annexed by the United States and the monarchy deposed.

A strong willed, determined young lady she travelled to America to stand up for the rights of her people against the government. Despite her addresses to the press and congress her plight was ignored and she was never to assume her birthright as Queen of Hawai’i. Her efforts did have the effect, however, of impressing upon the people of the US that the Hawaiians were a civilised, cultured people and far from the barbarians they had been portrayed as. She returned to England where the deaths of several of her close friends greatly added to her tragedy and her health began to deteriorate.

Hoping that a change in climate would help her recover, the Princess returned to Hawai’i in 1897. Unfortunately after many years in Europe she had trouble re-acclimatising to the tropical Hawaiian temperatures and sadly passed away on March 6th, 1899. She was only 23.

I feel a certain small kinship to Princess Ka’iulani, being half Scottish myself. Her story is so tragic, and yet she is an ideal example of a Princess. Intelligent, elegant, noble and with a strong sense of duty to her people. She loved Chinese jasmine and kept many pet Peacocks of whom she was very fond. It is said her peacocks screamed when she died. Whenever I see a peacock I am reminded of her strength and beauty.

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