Princess Kaʻiulani — The Heart of Hawaiʻi's Kingdom

She was the heart of Hawaiʻi, the pride of her people, and the princess who fought for her kingdom with grace and courage until her very last breath. Born on October 16, 1875, Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani Kawēkiu i Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn would go on to be proclaimed Crown Princess of Hawaiʻi by her aunt, Queen Liliʻuokalani. This year marks her 151st birthday, and her story is one that every person who loves these Islands should know.

Princess Kaʻiulani was the epitome of aloha — for her people, her ʻohana (family), her kingdom, and the Islands she called home.

A Princess Born of Two Worlds

Credit: Public Domain Via Wikimedia Commons. Hawaii State Archives PP-96-9-005.

Kaʻiulani was born of two worlds. Her father, Archibald Scott Cleghorn, was a Scottish businessman, and her mother, Princess Miriam Likelike, was of Hawaiian royalty — making Kaʻiulani the niece of King David Kalākaua, the Merrie Monarch himself. Raised at ʻĀinahau, her beloved family estate in Waikīkī, she grew up surrounded by the beauty of the Islands and the weight of her royal heritage.

After the passing of her mother Likelike, King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiʻolani wanted Kaʻiulani to begin preparing for her future role. In 1889, at just 13 years old, she was sent to England to receive a private education at Great Harrowden Hall. Despite the difficult transition, Kaʻiulani adapted and excelled — becoming accomplished in multiple languages, art, and poetry. But no matter how far she was from home, her love for Hawaiʻi and her people never wavered.

Then in 1893, everything changed. While Kaʻiulani was still abroad, the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, and her aunt, Queen Liliʻuokalani, was deposed.

The Fight for Her Kingdom

Credit: Public Domain Via Wikimedia Commons

Princess Kaʻiulani refused to stay silent. Although she was thousands of miles from home, she did everything in her power to give voice to her people and her kingdom. On January 17, 1893, the monarchy was overthrown — and just one month later, on February 18th, she wrote a statement to the press that stopped the world in its tracks:

"Four years ago, at the request of Mr. Thurston, then a Hawaiian minister, I was sent to England to be educated privately and fitted for the position which by the constitution of Hawaii I was to inherit. All these years I have patiently striven to fit myself for my return, this year, to my native country. I now am told that Mr. Thurston is 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 plead for my throne, my nation and my flag. Will not the great American people hear me?"

The following month, she traveled to the United States to personally appeal to President Grover Cleveland. Both he and his wife, Frances, were deeply impressed by the young princess and her petition. Cleveland sided with Kaʻiulani and commissioned Georgia Congressman James Blount to investigate the situation in Hawaiʻi. Blount found that the provisional government had little support among the Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) and recommended that power be restored to Queen Liliʻuokalani.

But it was not enough. The provisional government pressured Liliʻuokalani into abdicating her throne in 1895, and when William McKinley became president two years later, Hawaiʻi was officially annexed. The throne Kaʻiulani had fought for, the kingdom she loved, the flag she had pleaded for — all of it was gone.

A Heartbreaking Homecoming

Credit: Courtesy of the Hawaiʻi State Archives

In 1897, after nearly nine years abroad, Kaʻiulani finally returned home to the Islands and the people who had never stopped loving her. But the Hawaiʻi she returned to was not the kingdom she had left. Despite everything, her spirit never broke. When the annexation ceremony took place in 1898, both Kaʻiulani and Queen Liliʻuokalani boycotted it — a quiet but powerful act of resistance and dignity. Together, they continued working to ensure the rights of the Hawaiian people under the U.S. government.

Sadly, her return home would be heartbreakingly brief. Princess Kaʻiulani passed away on March 6, 1899, at just 23 years old. A nation mourned the loss of its beloved princess — a young woman who had given everything for her people and her kingdom, and who deserved so much more time.

Her Legacy Lives On

Princess Kaʻiulani may have only lived 23 years, but the mark she left on Hawaiʻi is eternal. She was a young woman of extraordinary grace, courage, and love — for her people, her culture, and the Islands she called home. Today her memory lives on in the aloha spirit that defines Hawaiʻi, in the stories passed down through generations, and in the hearts of everyone who knows her name.

On the occasion of her 151st birthday, we honor her the way she deserves — with reverence, with pride, and with gratitude for the fight she never stopped fighting.

At Maui Divers Jewelry, we are proud to celebrate her legacy through our Princess Kaʻiulani collection — pieces inspired by the beauty, strength, and aloha of Hawaiʻi's most beloved princess. Wear it as a reminder of the woman who loved these Islands with everything she had.

Sources
Bishop Museum — Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani — bishopmuseum.org
Kamehameha Schools — Womenʻs History Month: Kaʻiulani, Beloved Princess — ksbe.edu
Nupepa Hawaiʻi — Princess Kaʻiulani Protests 1893 — nupepa-hawaii.com
Britannica — Kaʻiulani — britannica.com

Photo Sources
Girl in the Tiara — Princess Kaʻiulani of Hawaii Part 2 — girlinthetiara.com
History Lizzie — Princess Kaʻiulani 1875–1899 — historylizzie.co.uk