King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u married in the Chapel Royal on December 11, 1982. Photo/Supplied
King Tupou VI, the youngest of four siblings, may have never thought he would one day become the king of Tonga.
However, different circumstances saw him a prince born with a great fortune and future ahead of him.
King Tupou VI’s eldest brother, Late King George V, died in 2012 and at the age of 64, having no legitimate children to carry on the succession.
King Tupou VI’s second oldest sibling, Princess Pilolevu Tuita, would not immediately claim her right to the Tongan throne as she can only do so if there was no more prince.
Late Prince ʻAlaivahamamaʻo, the second youngest sibling, had his right to the succession revoked in 1980 by his father, late King Taufaʻahau Tupou IV, because he married a commoner.
He was later given the title Noble Ma’atu.
Prince Alaivahamamaʻo’s revocation and death in 2004 however shortened the roll of succession to the Tongan throne for King Tupou VI and tomorrow July 4 he will be crowned as the King of Tonga.
Wedding
About thirty years ago Prince ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuaki-ʻO-Tonga Tukuʻaho Tupou, now known as King Tupou VI married Nanasipauʻu Heuifanga Vaea.
The royal couple were later known as Prince ʻAhoʻeitu and Princess Nanasipauʻu.
In 2012 the couple became the King and Queen of Tonga and this week thousands celebrate their official coronation in the kingdom.
As royal husband and wife, King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauʻu’s life was full of praise and admiration.
Their supporters often referred to the king as ʻtama lotu’ or ‘religious king’. They also referred to him as ‘tama talangofua’ or obedient king referring to he was the only son of Late King Tupou IV who listened and agreed to wed Nanasipau’u when he was told to do so.
And to the queen the royal supporters referred to her as humble and ‘fefine lelei’ as she was the one who ensured the King’s leadership was executed perfectly by ensuring that she always supported and stood beside him.
Kāinga
Celebrating the coronation of the King and Queen means the royals’ kāinga (families, relatives and residents) would gather around and entertain Their Majesties to the full.
Many of the royal couples’ kāinga, who celebrated the marriage of King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauʻu in Pangai Lahi 33 years ago, will cherish this coronation week as a nostalgic moment.
King Tupou VI married Queen Nanasipau’u on 11 December 1982 after the king authorised the royal nuptial according to the Tongan constitution.
The revelation of their wedding was significant news to the nation, and especially to Nanasipau’u’s family and kainga, because members of the kingdom’s nobility have traditionally been encouraged to seek partners among other noble families or the royal family to ensure their social standings.
When a member of the nobility marries a royal, his or her social statues rise as they receive a royal identification. This royal identification also applies to the noble’s family, kāinga, and the town or village from where they originally belonged.
Nanasipau’u was the daughter of Late Baron Vaea of Houma and Baroness Tuputupu Ma’afu Vaea of Vaini.
King Tupou VI was the youngest son of late King Tupou IV and Queen Mother Halaevalu Mata’aho.
Education and Children
King Tupou VI is the first of the royal household to hold a Masters Degree after completing a Masters in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales in 1997 and an MA in International Relations from Bond University in 1999.
The royal family’s children are Princess ʻAngelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mataʻaho Napuaʻokalani Tukuʻaho, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukālala and Prince Ata.
