Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Sālote Tupou III, who passed away on this day in 1965! The beloved and artistic Queen who was the longest reigning Tongan Sovereign was crowned with this striking Gold Star Crown!
But first, let’s learn about Queen Sālote! The daughter of King George Tupou II of Tonga and Lavinia Veiongo, the young Princess was at the risk of losing her life due to rival clan factions which had opposed her parents marriage, so she grew up in New Zealand but was proclaimed the Heir to the Throne on her fifteenth birthday in 1915, three years before she succeeded her father as the Queen of Tonga in 1918. The previous year, she had married Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi and had three sons who had the blood of three royal dynasties. Queen Sālote was a master of Tongan arts; a gifted orator, writer, poet, composer of Tongan classics and Punake, and her support of the Allies during the Second World War led to her becoming a popular figure when she attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, hosting the Queen later that same year. Queen Sālote was very open and approachable, while being very knowledgeable of Tongan tradition. She passed away of cancer at the age of 65.
This striking Gold Crown is composed of large Gold Stars with crosses alongside wreathes, over a base of gold ivy leaves atop a band of gold and enamel. The exact origin of the crown is unknown, but it seems to have been created in the 1890s, likely by a jeweller in New Zealand, which has close ties with Tonga.
When King George Tupou II of Tonga married Lavinia Veiongo in 1899, during the Ceremony, he crowned his bride with the Gold Star Crown.
During the ceremony the King placed a golden crown on Lavinia’s head and proclaimed her as Queen of Tonga
The Gold Star Crown was also worn by Queen ʻAnaseini Takipō when she married King George Tupou II in 1909, after the early death of Queen Lavinia Veiongo.
A decade later, the Gold Star Crown was most notably worn by Queen Sālote Tupou III for her Coronation as the Queen of Tonga in Nuku’alofa in 1918.
After Queen Salote’s passing, the Gold Star Crown passed to her daughter-in-law, Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho, who was crowned with it during the Coronation of King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV at the Royal Chapel in Nuku’alofa in 1968.
As Queen Mother, Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho wore the Gold Star Crown for the Coronation of King George Tupou V of Tonga in 2008 and also the Coronation of King Tupou VI of Tonga in 2015.
In 2015, a new Gold Crown was made for Queen Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho and it remains to be seen if the Gold Star Crown will be used again.
