Princess Title of Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Ellerbrock-Kawananakoa is Disputed
Timeline of Sovereigns and Eligible Rulers of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Was not a Princess or the last Hawaiian Princess
I was sent to what was then known as the Royal School, because its pupils were exclusively persons whose claims to the throne were acknowledged”
HONOLULU, HAWAII, USA, January 28, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The news of Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Ellerbrock-Kawānanakoa’s passing has brought great sadness. May God grant her eternal rest and comfort her family and friends.— Her Majesty Queen Lili'uokalani
Sadly, the news of Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Ellerbrock-Kawananakoa's passing also reveals a collective loss of historical knowledge and memory for the people of Hawaiʻi as evidenced by the inaccurate reported use of the title Princess when referring to her person as well as the recurring comment that she was the last Hawaiian Princess and that her ancestor, David Kawananakoa had been named as an heir to the throne of Hawaiʻi. These statements however, are not only false, but serve to perpetuate untruths and further mislead the Hawaiian people, the residents of Hawaiʻi, the general public and the international community.
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Ellerbrock-Kawananakoa was widely known for her cultural, social and philanthropical work, was in fact a descendant of David Kawananakoa (1886-1908) but he was only a nephew of H.M. King Kalākaua's wife, Queen Consort Kapiʻolani. That makes him and his descendants “in-laws” and not direct or collateral descendants of H.M. King Kalākaua.
By definition and in accordance with the rules governing succession, the offspring of a queen consort’s sibling were not royal and therefore not eligible to rule. David Kawananakoa’s princely title was in fact a “courtesy title” or what is known as a “courtesy treatment” bestowed upon him by H.M. King Kalakaua for exclusive use in the court and it was only valid for the duration of David Kawānanakoa’s lifetime. It therefore extinguished upon his passing and thus did not pass to any of his descendants because honorary titles, or in this case the “style” or “treatment”, was not hereditary. “...David and his brothers were proclaimed princes of the realm in 1883; the title could not, however, be inherited.” Consequently Ms. Kawananakoa was neither a princess, did not have the treatment of “Her Royal Highness” and nor was she or anyone in her family ever eligible to rule. To suggest otherwise ignores and greatly diminishes the preservation of the surviving Royal Family of High Chiefess H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui (1834-1928) who was in fact pre-emptive and eligible to ascend to the Throne.
Upon the passing of H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1917, the High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui was recognized as the head of the royal family of Hawaiʻi. As royal children, Princess Liliʻuokalani (Lydia Kamakaeha) and Princess Elizabeth (Elizabeth Kekaniau) both attended and resided at the Chiefs’ Children’s School which was created to educate and groom future rulers of Hawaiʻi. In her own book, “Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen” H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani affirms High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui’s place and status in the royal family. Queen Lili‘uokalani states in her book that the School’s “...pupils were exclusively persons whose claims to the throne were acknowledged”. Hawaiʻi’s royal succession was subject by law per the proclamation by His Majesty King Kamehameha III in June 1844 where he named High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui among the sixteen “Princes and Chiefs eligible to be Rulers” of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
H.R.H. High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui descended directly from the High Chief Kalokuokamaile, eldest brother of H.M. King Kamehameha I, which is why she was chosen to be an eligible ruler along with her Royal Cousins.
After the death of Queen Liliʻuokalani, it was indeed High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui who solely held the “Fons Honorum” and the Exclusive Right to continue to use the Royal Prerogatives, Styles, and Treatments of the Heir Presumptive. Today, the position of Head of the Royal Family of Hawaiʻi and Pantheon of the Royal Fons Honorum solely belongs to H.R.H. Princess Owana Kaʻōhelelani, heir and successor of High Chiefess H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui.
The Prester John Institute – Imperial and Royal Council of Foreign Nobility:
Prof. Humberto Nuno de Oliveira – Spokesperson / Historian
presterjohninstitute@gmail.com
The Royal Family of Hawaiʻi:
The Secretariat of the Royal House of Hawaiʻi
chancellery@crownofhawaii.com
Prester John Institute - Royal Council of Foreign Nobility
Prof. Humberto Nuno de Oliveira – Spokesperson / Historian
presterjohninstitute@gmail.com
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