How Hawaii's half-Scottish surfing princess was deposed when US annexed islands

The little queen-in-waiting had an idyllic childhood in the beautiful house and gardens designed by her father. Princess Likelike, inspired by the gentle breezes, called it ʻĀinahau. It means “the cool place”.

Ka’iulani played beneath mango and banyan trees. She fed the peacocks and peahens by hand. She was a strong swimmer and an excellent surfer. Her father gave her a little white pony called Fairy.

She would ride to the house of neighbour John Cummins, a prominent Hawaiian politician. According to “Kaiulani, Crown Princess of Hawaï”, a biography written by Nancy Webb and Jean Francis Webb, no matter how busy “Uncle John" was, he would stop what he was doing and come outside to greet his little princess. “Uncle John”, she would announce, “I want some milk”, and her command was immediately obeyed.

Swimming in dinner dress

Ka’iulani was brought up in a happy home. Miss Gardinier, her governess, described Mr Cleghorn as "a man of dignified presence, a genial host, devoted to his family and home, and always a most courteous gentleman”. Princess Likelike was "small, graceful and stylish... always most thoughtful and considerate of those she likes”.

Ka’iulani was possibly a little over-indulged. She was a headstrong girl. When her governess called her in from swimming to dress for dinner, Ka’iulani sulked and then, once fully dressed, ran straight into the surf again.

Sadly, her mother Princess Likelike died in 1887. Ka’iulani was only 12. Vivacious Likilike had been a legendary hostess at ʻĀinahau, and Ka’iulani was every bit as welcoming as her mother.

RLS and the Princess

When the yacht Casco brought the world renowned author, Robert Louis Stevenson, to Hawaii in 1889, she couldn’t wait to meet him. The Tahitians had named him Tusitala, the teller of tales. RLS and the princess became firm friends.

Stevenson delighted Ka’iulani with stories of a tame mouse who shared his home and tales of her father’s birthplace. She probably wanted to know as much as she could about these cold, rainy, faraway islands. Ka’iulani was being sent away to be educated at a school in England, Great Harrowden Hall.

Stevenson penned these lines to her, “Forth from her land to mine she goes, The island maid, the island rose,” ending “But our Scots islands far away/ Shall glitter with unwonted day,/ And cast for once their tempests by/ To smile in Kaiulani’s eye.”

First woman to surf in UK?

Ka’iulani was educated as a queen in the European manner, but she also managed to stay Hawaiian. She wrote to her aunt, Queen Liliʻuokalani, that she loved being in the sea again during a visit to the coast. Bearing in mind that she was an expert surfer, it's just possible she was the first undocumented woman to surf in UK waters. The first verifiable female surfer was Agatha Christie. Yes, the queen of crime herself.

By 1892, there were plans for Crown Princess Ka’iulani to be unveiled as a proper royal. Balls, tours of Europe and, of course, a visit to be presented to Queen Victoria herself were all planned.

Everything stopped on January 30, 1893. Three telegrams arrived "Queen deposed”. "Monarchy abrogated”, and finally, brutally, "Break news to Princess."

US wanted Pearl Harbor

In an outrageous land grab, Queen Liliʻuokalani had been chucked off her own throne on January 17. The perpetrators had a variety of pointless reasons for this island revolution. The American Navy wanted a base on the islands, a perfect bay at a place called Pearl Harbor.

Queen Liliʻuokalani hadn’t been keen. American sugar merchants were miffed by new trade deals. And worst of all, Her Majesty had the sheer gall to propose rewriting the constitution to give more power back to the Hawaiians. How very dare she.

Archibald Cleghorn had been outmanoeuvred. He had tried a desperate last-minute attempt to have Queen Liliʻuokalani abdicate and Princess Ka’iulani take the throne. No dice. The plotters dethroned the queen and ended the monarchy.

‘Hear my cry’

Ka’iulani was no longer a crown princess, but worse, Hawaii was no longer an independent nation. She and her father tried to fight back. They travelled to the US to appeal directly to the American people.

When she disembarked from the liner Teutonic in New York in March 1893, she addressed America. “Today, I, a poor, weak girl, with not one of my people near me and all of these statesmen against me, have the strength to stand up for the rights of my people... (I am) strong in the knowledge that I am right, strong in the strength of 70 million people who in this free land will hear my cry and will refuse to let their flag cover dishonour to mine!”

It was no good. The merchant men wanted to control Hawaii, and they prevailed.

Ka’iulani and her father drifted about Britain and Europe. They visited Scotland, and were guests at Dreghorn Castle. They were also broke. Money troubles forced them back to Hawaii in 1897. On August 12, 1898, the United States of America formally annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii.

The peacocks screamed

Father and daughter lived on quietly amidst the trees and peacocks of ʻĀinahau. Ka’iulani, always a keen horsewoman, went riding in January 1899. A heavy rainstorm chilled her to the bone. A fever started. She never recovered.

At 2am on March 6, 1899, Princess Kaʻiulani Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn died. She was 23. Legend says her peacocks screamed for hours after her death.

Her Scottish father lived on until 1910. Archibald Scottt Cleghorn lies in the Royal Mausoleum, beside his wife and his daughter, the last Crown Princess of Hawaii.