On Sept. 8, the United Kingdom lost its longest-reigning queen, Elizabeth II, at the age of 96. And last Sunday, also at the age of 96, Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa, the last princess of Hawaii, died. Her death was announced Monday from the Iolani Palace, now a museum but the only royal residence in the United States where the Hawaiian monarch lived.
But Abigail died at her Honolulu residence next to her wife, Veronica Gail Kawānanakoa, 69. “Abigail will be remembered for her love of Hawaii and her people,” his wife said in a statement, “and I will miss her with all my heart.”
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa had no formal title, but Hawaiians called her princess because she was a living reminder of Hawaii’s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that lasted after the kingdom was overthrown by American landowners in 1893.
Abigail Kawananakoa, always with her dog on her lap and next to her wife Veronica Gail. (AP Photo/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher)
Kimo Alama Keaulana, assistant professor of Hawaiian Studies and Languages at Honolulu Community College, said in a 2018 interview that Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa “embodies what Hawaiian royalty is, in all her dignity, intelligence, and artistry “. Though for others like Hawaiian activist Walter Ritte, she believes Hawaiians are not interested in whether she was a princess and that her impact on indigenous culture was minimal.
The story goes back to James Campbell, the great-grandfather of Abigail, an Irish businessman who made his fortune as a sugar plantation owner and one of the largest landowners in Hawaii. He married Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright. Their daughter, Abigail Wahiika’ahu’ula Campbell, married Prince David Kawananakoa, who was named heir apparent to the throne of Hawaii. Their daughter Lydia, Kamaka’eha Liliu’okulani Kawananakoa Morris had Abigail (the last princess to die on Sunday) with her husband William Jeremiah Ellerbrock.
Abigail’s great-grandfather was an Irish landowner and her daughter married Prince David Kawananakoa
After Prince David Kawananakoa’s death, his widow adopted his granddaughter, young Abigail, solidifying her claim to the title of princess. She acknowledged in a 2021 interview with Honolulu Magazine that if the monarchy survived, her cousin Edward Kawānanakoa would be in line to rule, not her. “Of course, I would be the power behind the throne, there’s no doubt about that,” she joked.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green ordered the flags of the United States and Hawaii to fly at half-mast at the state capitol and state offices until sunset next Sunday, saying, “Hawaii mourns this great loss.”
The Iolani Palace, in Honolulu, where the Hawaiian monarchy lived is currently a museum and it was here that the death of Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa was announced
Known to family and close friends as Kekau, she received more money from Campbell than anyone and amassed a trust worth approximately $215 million. He has funded various causes over the years, including scholarships for Native Hawaiian students, opposed the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, supported protests against a giant telescope, donated items owned by King Kalākaua and Queen Kapiʻolani for public display, including a 14-carat diamond of the king, and the maintenance of the Iolani palace.
Born in Honolulu, Kawānanakoa was educated at Punahou, a prestigious preparatory school. She also attended an American school in Shanghai and graduated from Notre Dame High School for Women in Belmont, California, where she was a student.
She was briefly engaged to a man, but most of her long-term relationships were with women.
In addition to the money he inherited, he also made many millions of dollars breeding racehorses. “She was always curious about what people would do for money,” said Jim Wright, who was her personal attorney from 1998 until she fired him in 2017 during a bitter court battle over control of the company. trust her.
Abigail Kawananakoa in 2020, during the trial in which she wanted to prove that she is unable to control her luck
The battle for control of his trust began when a judge approved his attorney Wright as his trustee after he suffered a stroke in 2017. He claimed he was not incapacitated, fired Wright as his attorney, and married Veronica Gail Worth, his partner for 20 years. .
In 2018, Kawānanakoa sought to amend his trust to ensure his wife received $40 million and all of his personal assets, according to court documents. In 2020, a judge ruled that Kawananakoa could not manage his property or his business because he was disabled.
It was “heartbreaking,” she said, to be unable to fulfill her obligation to the Hawaiian people amid legal wrangling over her trust. “My heritage dictates that I care for the Hawaiian people,” he said during a court hearing.
read also
