During the last months of her life, Queen Sālote received a fourth and final honour from Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Sālote had once said, “The friendship of Great Britain is Tonga’s dearest possession.”1
On 22 October 1965, she was appointed as Grand Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, Dame Grand Cross, First Class (GCMG). She was the first woman in the British Empire to be awarded this honour. It was published in the Gazette on 2 November, “The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to give directions for the following appointment to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George:To be an Honorary Member of the First Class, or Dame Grand Cross, of the said Most Distinguished Order: Her Majesty Queen Salote Tupou. G.C.V.O., G.B.E., Queen of Tonga.”2
The New York Times reported, “The Queen of Tonga, the South Sea island monarch who delighted crowds at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation by smiling and waving as she rode in an open landau in the pouring rain, was today made a dame – the equivalent of a knight. Queen Elizabeth named her a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. Queen Sālote, 65 years old, is the first woman to receive the decoration.”3
Group photograph taken after Sir Murchinson Fletcher, High Commissioner of the Western Pacific, had conferred, on behalf of the King, the order of Dame Commander of the Civil Division of the British Empire on Queen Sālote of Tonga (Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19321123-48-01)
Queen Sālote had previously been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1932 and was later promoted to be a Dame Grand Cross. She received the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order during Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Tonga in 1953. She wore the mantle of the Order of the British Empire during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Sālote died on 16 December 1965 in a hospital in New Zealand. During her funeral procession, her two eldest grandsons carried her British orders on cushions.
In 2018, as Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson and granddaughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Tonga, she gave him a message to convey to the Tongan King and Queen. It said, “Your Majesties, it gives me great pleasure that my grandson and his wife are visiting the Kingdom of Tonga. Our two families have enjoyed a deep and warm friendship over many years, and I hope that our close relationship continues with the next generation.
“To this day, I remember with fondness Queen Salote’s attendance at my own Coronation, while Prince Philip and I have cherished memories from our three wonderful visits to your country in 1953, 1970 and 1977.
“In the months and years ahead, I wish Your Majesties and the people of Tonga every good fortune and happiness.”4
- Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900–1965 by Elizabeth Wood-Ellem p.297
- London Gazette
- The New York Times
- Town and Country
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