Casket bearing last Hawaiian ‘princess’ who inherited $215m from sugar plantation owner great-grandfather, bred racehorses and faced bitter legal battle over wealth is placed on public display after she died aged 96
- The casket bearing the ‘last Hawaiian princess’ went on public display Sunday
- Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa died on December 11, at the age of 96
- READ: The bitter scandal behind Hawaii’s last ‘princess’… and her $215M fortune
The casket bearing the heiress long considered the last Hawaiian princess went on public display Sunday in the downtown Honolulu palace that benefited from her wealth.
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa’s casket, handcrafted from a 165-year-old koa tree that fell during a 2021 storm on the Big Island, arrived at ‘Iolani Palace in a hearse.
It was greeted by a traditional Hawaiian wailing and a chanting of her lineage before being carried by members of a law enforcement honour guard up the palace’s front stairs and into the throne room.
Kawananakoa, who was worth an estimated $215 million, passed away ‘peacefully’ on December 11, at the age of 96, with her wife Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, 70, at her side in her home in Nuuanu, near downtown Honolulu, according to a news release.
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa’s casket, handcrafted from a 165-year-old koa tree that fell during a 2021 storm on the Big Island, arrived at ‘Iolani Palace in a hearse. Pictured, Kawananakoa in 2019
Her death was formally announced outside ‘Iolani Palace, America’s only royal residence where the Hawaiian monarchy dwelled but now serves mostly as a museum.
‘Abigail will be remembered for her love of Hawaii and its people,’ her wife said in a statement, ‘and I will miss her with all of my heart.’
Kawananakoa was descended from the royal family that once ruled the islands. She held no formal title but was a reminder of Hawaii´s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893.
In 1895, an unsuccessful attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore Queen Liliuokalani to power resulted in her arrest.
The casket (pictured centre) was greeted by a traditional Hawaiian wailing and a chanting of her lineage before being carried by members of a law enforcement honour guard up the palace’s front stairs and into the throne room
Kawananakoa (pictured in the palace in 1982), who was worth an estimated $215 million, passed away ‘peacefully’ on December 11, at the age of 96, with her wife Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, 70, at her side in her home in Nuuanu, near downtown Honolulu, according to a news release
‘Abigail will be remembered for her love of Hawaii and its people,’ her wife (pictured in 2018 together) said in a statement, ‘and I will miss her with all of my heart’
Kawananakoa (pictured in 1954) was descended from the royal family that once ruled the islands
She was put on trial before a military tribunal in her own throne room. After she was convicted, she was imprisoned in an upstairs bedroom of the palace for nearly eight months.
A timeline of Hawaii’s ‘last princess’ Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa’s life
- Abigail was born on April 23, 1926, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to parents Lydia – the daughter of Prince David Kawananakoa – and William – an Irish American.
- After the Prince died, his widow – Abigail’s grandmother – legally adopted Abigail, who was aged six.
- She first started inheriting her fortune in 1969 after her mother passed away.
- After spending ‘millions’ of dollars on breeding racehorses throughout the ’90s, she almost went bankrupt in 1997.
- In 2017, Abigail suffered a stroke and a bitter legal battle between her former attorney Jim Wright and her partner Veronica Gail Kawananakoa, whom she married that year, ensued.
- In 2020, a judge ruled that Abigail was too impaired ‘to manage her property and business affairs’.
- She passed away at age 96 in December.
Kawananakoa inherited her wealth from her great-grandfather, Irish businessman James Campbell, who made his fortune as a sugar plantation owner and one of Hawaii’s largest landowners.
He had married Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright. Their daughter, Abigail Wahiika`ahu`ula Campbell, married Prince David Kawnanakoa, who was named an heir to the throne. Their daughter then went on to give birth to Abigail.
After the prince died, his widow adopted their grandchild, Abigail, which strengthened her claim to a princess title.
She received more Campbell money than anyone else and amassed a trust valued at about $215 million.
She acknowledged in an interview with Honolulu Magazine in 2021 that had the monarchy survived, her cousin Edward Kawananakoa would be in line to be the ruler, not her.
‘Of course, I would be the power behind the throne, there’s no question about that,’ she joked.
She helped fund various causes over the years, including scholarships for Native Hawaiian students, supporting protests against a giant telescope, donating items owned by King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi`olani for public display and maintaining `Iolani Palace.
Another one of her passions was breeding racehorses.
She was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2018, with the association noting she was the industry’s ‘all-time leading female breeder at the reins of an operation that has produced the earners of more than $10 million.’
One of her horses, A Classic Dash, won $1 million in 1993 in New Mexico’s All-American Futurity.
In 2017, a court battle began over control of her trust after she suffered a stroke. In 2018, Kawananakoa attempted to amend her trust to ensure that her wife would receive $40million and all her personal property, according to court records.
She held no formal title but was a reminder of Hawaii´s monarchy and a symbol of Hawaiian national identity that endured after the kingdom was overthrown by American businessmen in 1893. The ‘princess’ pictured in 2012, left, and 2009, right
A private funeral service is scheduled for Monday at Mauna *Ala, also known as Royal Mausoleum State Monument, which is the burial place of Hawaiian royalty. Pictured right, Kawananakoa in 2013
Kawananakoa (pictured at her wedding ceremony in 2017 with her wife) gained notoriety when she sat on an `Iolani Palace throne for a Life magazine photo shoot in 1998. She damaged some of its fragile threads, causing an uproar that resulted in her being ousted from her role as the president of Friends of `Iolani Palace, a position she had held for more than 25 years
Three years later, a judge ruled that Kawananakoa was unable to manage her property and business affairs because she was impaired.
Kawananakoa gained notoriety when she sat on an `Iolani Palace throne for a Life magazine photo shoot in 1998.
She damaged some of its fragile threads, causing an uproar that resulted in her being ousted from her role as the president of Friends of `Iolani Palace, a position she had held for more than 25 years.
Family spokesperson Caroline Witherspoon called Sunday’s procession ‘extremely emotional,’ saying: ‘The wailing – it was just beautiful. It just caused a visceral reaction for me. I started to cry.’
Members of the public were allowed to line up to view her casket and weren’t required to wear the shoe coverings that palace visitors normally have to wear as a preservation precaution.
A carpet for mourners to walk on was temporarily installed for the viewing, which was scheduled to end at 8pm local time.
A private funeral service is scheduled for Monday at Mauna *Ala, also known as Royal Mausoleum State Monument, which is the burial place of Hawaiian royalty.
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