Remembering Hawaii’s historical ties to Great Britain following Queen Elizabeth II’s death
By Shanila Kabir
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Queen Elizabeth had strong ties to Hawaii and visited the islands more than once during her reign. The relationship between Britain and Hawaii goes all the way back to the 18th century.
A historian at Iolani Palace told KITV4 that Queen Emma established a close relationship with England’s Queen Victoria in the 1860’s, after both of them lost a husband and a child.
“In Hawaii, in 1887 when Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee, not only did our alili attend the event in London, there was also events here in Honolulu,” said Zita Cup Choy, historian at Iolani Palace.
Hawaii’s alili kept the relationship years after Queen Emma died. Unlike states on the mainland, Hawaii can greatly relate to the Queen’s death because of its history as a monarchy.
“There’s a connection with Queen Elizabeth and the idea or service and devotion, and what we saw with our Kings and Queens. They were also dedicated to the nation and helping the people,” said Douglas Askman, professor at Hawaii Pacific University.
A professor at UH Manoa said it is important to understand Queen Elizabeth in 2022. He said the idea of a monarchy is supposed to be outdated but the royal family remained relevant through decades of changes.
“A lot of Americans have this thing about the British royalty but a lot of brits don’t. We’re supposed to be in a democratic modern world. There are other kings and queens like in Denmark but they don’t have the wealth and power like the British monarchy does,” said Peter Hoffenberg, professor at UH Manoa.
Officials at Iolani palace say there may be an event to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s legacy, although nothing is confirmed at this time.
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