Victoria Kawekiu I Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Ka‘iulani Cleghorn
Princess Ka'iulani
Crown Princess of Hawaii
Victoria Kaʻiulani, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i on October 16, 1875. She was the daughter of the talented musician and composer, Princess Miriam Likelike (Miriam Kapili Kekauluohi Likelike) and it is through her mother that Kaʻiulani is descended from High Chief Kepoʻokalani, the first cousin of Kamehameha the Great on his mother Kekuʻiapowa II's side. (Her mother was also sister of Queen Liliuokalani.) Her father, Archibald Scott Cleghorn, was a Scottish born businessman and later, Governor of Oahu and was also known as Hawaii’s Father of Parks, as he was planner of several Hawaii parks.
Princess Kaʻiulani became known throughout the world for her intelligence, beauty and determination and after the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, she spearheaded a campaign to restore the Kingdom. In New York, she made many speeches and public appearances denouncing the overthrow of her government. In Washington, D.C she spoke before the United States Congress and pleaded with U.S. Presidents Benjamin Harrison and later Grover Cleveland, but her negotiations could not prevent eventual annexation. Her life story grew to legendary proportions after her untimely death on March 6, 1899 at the age of 23.The Sheraton Princess Kaiulani in Waikiki Beach offers a historical tour focusing on the history of its namesake, Princess Victoria Ka’iulani, and the history of the hotel’s location in Waikiki, the former Ainahau Estate where young Ka’iulani once lived.
