Crown Prince of Tonga

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Crown Prince of Tonga
Coat of arms of Tonga.svg
Tupouto`a `Ulukalala 2022.jpg
since 18 March 2012
Style His Royal Highness
Residence Royal Palace, Nukuʻalofa
Appointer Monarch
Inaugural holder Vuna Takitakimālohi
FormationDecember 4, 1845;179 years ago (1845-12-04)
Deputy Taufaʻahau Manumataongo

The Crown Prince of Tonga is the heir to the throne of Tonga.

Contents

The Article 32 of the Constitution of Tonga provides for male-preference primogeniture, meaning that the eldest son of the King automatically succeeds to the crown upon the monarch's death, and that the eldest daughter may succeed to the crown only if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants. [1] By convention, the heir to the throne also bears the noble title of Tupoutoʻa; this has been the case since then-crown prince Tāufaʻāhau was conferred with the title in the late 1930s. [2]

The current Crown Prince of Tonga is Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, who became heir apparent to the throne on 18 March 2012 upon the accession of his father, Tupou VI, as King. [3]

Succession to George Tupou I

The long reign of King George Tupou I (r.1845–1893), the first constitutional monarch of Tonga, saw six different heirs apparent to the Tongan throne. The only legitimate son of the King, Vuna Takitakimālohi, died unmarried in January 1862, leaving the King without an heir. [4] The succession would remain vacant for thirteen years until the promulgation of the Constitution of Tonga in 1875, which legitimized Vuna's half-brother Tēvita ʻUnga and named him Crown Prince. [5] By 1889, the King would outlive ʻUnga and all three of his grandchildren – ʻUelingatoni Ngū, Nalesoni Laifone and ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku. That left his great-grandson Tāufaʻāhau, Fusipala's son, as the next Crown Prince, who would succeed his great-grandfather in 1893 as George Tupou II. [6] [7] [8]

Crown Princes of Tonga since 1845

PortraitNameRelation to monarchBirthBecame Crown PrinceCeased to be Crown PrinceDeathMonarch
Prince Vuna Takitakimalohi and parents, Tongan Cultural Centre.jpg Vuna Takitakimālohi Sole legitimate sonc. 18444 December 1845January 1862
deceased
George Tupou I
Tevita `Unga.jpg Tēvita ʻUnga Sonc. 18244 November 187518 December 1879
deceased
Uelingatoni Ngu, 1884.jpg ʻUelingatoni Ngū Grandson3 August 185418 December 187911 March 1885
deceased
Nalesoni Laifone Grandsonc. 185911 March 18856 June 1889
deceased
Fusipala, wife of Fakua, c. 1885.jpg ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku Granddaughter18 May 18506 June 1889September 1889
deceased
Prince Taufa`ahau in Auckland, New Zelaland, c. 1889.jpg Tāufaʻāhau Double great-grandson18 June 1874September 188918 February 1893
acceded to throne as George Tupou II
5 April 1918
Princess Salote, aged about 13 years.jpg Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu Eldest daughter13 March 19005 April 1918
acceded to throne as Sālote Tupou III
16 December 1965George Tupou II
Tupouto`a Tungi.jpg Tupoutoʻa Tungī Eldest son4 July 191816 December 1965
acceded to throne as Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
10 September 2006Sālote Tupou III
George Tupou V of Tonga, 2011 (cropped).jpg Tupoutoʻa Eldest son4 May 194816 December 196510 September 2006
acceded to throne as George Tupou V
18 March 2012Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Ulukalala Lavaka Ata.jpg Tupoutoʻa Lavaka Younger brother12 July 195927 September 200618 March 2012
acceded to throne as Tupou VI
LivingGeorge Tupou V
Tupouto`a `Ulukalala 2022.jpg Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Eldest son17 September 198518 March 2012IncumbentLivingTupou VI

Timeline

Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalalaTupou VIGeorge Tupou VTāufaʻāhau Tupou IVSālote Tupou IIIGeorge Tupou IIʻElisiva Fusipala TaukiʻonetukuNalesoni LaifoneʻUelingatoni NgūTēvita ʻUngaVuna TakitakimālohiCrown Prince of Tonga

See also

References

  1. "Act of Constitution of Tonga: Article 32". WIPO Lex . Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  2. Marcus 1978, p. 41.
  3. "Tonga Crown Prince weds". Radio New Zealand International . 12 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  4. Rodman & Rutherford 2007, p. 26–27.
  5. Spurway 2015, p. 155.
  6. Wood-Ellem 1999, pp. 309, 314, 322, 324.
  7. Biersack 1996, p. 274.
  8. Hixon 2000, p. 202.

Bibliography