A Hawai'ian in Harrowden

This is Princess Ka'iulani, the woman who would be Queen of Hawai'i. Her story is a romantic tragedy which was made into a film in 2009, which seems to have sunk without trace.

She was sent to the UK to be educated, living in Kettering and being schooled in Harrowden Hall, now a golf club.

While she was here, Hawai'i was annexed by the USA. She returned to campaign for the restitution of the Islands' sovereignty and was regarded as the rightful monarch of Hawai'i by the people. She caught a chill and eventually died at the age of twenty three.

I learned of the connection years ago when I took the Hawai'i' Youth Opera Chorus on tour around Europe (One of my all time favourite groups!), so I popped along to take a photo of the portrait which was presented by a descendant of the princess in 1995. I took the original pre-digital so I finally went back today to catch up with myself. The Lei which is draped around the portrait is starting to disintegrate. Time for another visit, methinks.