In early 1917, Princess Sālote’s father became ill, and it was clear that he was declining quickly. Around this time, a suitor for Sālote was settled on, and he met with the approval of the Privy Council, the public and the royal family. His name was Tungī Mailefihi. Wedding preparations began in earnest, and there [read more]
Read part one here. In 1942, the defence of Tonga became the responsibility of the United States and Queen Sālote agreed that the Americans could have a base in Tonga during the war. A United States warship and seaplane arrived on 3 March 1942, followed by two reconnaissance officers at the end of the month. [read more]
As the Second World War loomed large, the British government asked for the support of all the countries within the British Empire. Queen Sālote told the British High Commissioner that Tonga would place all of its resources at Great Britain’s disposal. On 3 September 1939, Tonga officially declared war on Germany. The government immediately called [read more]
Read part one here. Fortunately for Fusipala, Queen Sālote was sympathetic, and she did not put pressure on her sister to marry. Early in 1928, Fusipala joined the Tupou College Choir for some of their concerts. She danced, played the piano and sang. She developed a romantic attachment with one of the commoner boys in [read more]
Princess Sālote’s mother, Lavinia, died in 1902 when Sālote was just two years old. Her parents’ marriage had been quite controversial as King George had originally been meant to marry Princess ʻOfakivavaʻu, but he had chosen Lavinia instead. With Lavinia dead and in order to appease those who had been offended by his first marriage, [read more]
After attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London, Queen Sālote went on a two-week tour of Scotland, the Isle of Man and Ireland. She and her daughter-in-law, Mataʻaho, then travelled to Paris and Rome, where they had an audience with Pope Pius XII on 20 July 1953. Queen Sālote wrote about the meeting [read more]
Copyright © 2026 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes