Who would be Queen of Hawai’i today?

The Kingdom of Hawaiʻi existed between 1795 and 1893. It was established by Kamehameha I, who ruled the island of Hawai’i, when he conquered the islands of Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi. The islands of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. The Kingdom did not always follow a traditional line of succession, where the eldest son or eldest child succeeded. Monarchs could have many wives and many children. Here are the candidates who could be considered as Queen consort or Queen regnant of Hawai’i today.

Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last Queen regnant of Hawai’i. She reigned from 1891 until the monarchy was abolished in 1893. She was the first and only Queen to rule Hawai’i in her own right. She did not have any children with her husband, John Owen Dominis. Shortly after being elected, she named her niece, Princess Kaʻiulani, as her heir apparent. Princess Kaʻiulani was the daughter of the Queen’s sister, Princess Likelike, who had died in 1887, and Archibald Scott Cleghorn. When the Hawaiian islands were annexed by the United States, Queen Liliʻuokalani fought to get them back, but ended up with just a lifetime pension. Tragically, Crown Princess Kaʻiulani died in 1899 at the age of 23, leaving no descendants.

The death of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1917 marked the end of the main line of the dynasty. A cadet branch, the House of Kawānanakoa, descended from Prince David Kawānanakoa, remains in existence to this day. At least two of its members have made a claim to the throne.

One of the more famous members of the House of Kawānanakoa was Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa, the daughter of Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoa and Dr. William Jeremiah Ellerbrock. She was the great-grandniece of Queen Liliʻuokalani, and as such, many considered her a possible heiress should the monarchy be reinstated. Abigail married her partner, Veronica Gail Worth, who is almost 30 years younger than her, on 1 October 2017. They had reportedly been partners for over 20 years. Abigail died at the age of 96 on 11 December 2022. Had she reigned, Abigail would have been Queen regnant of Hawai’i. Although we can’t know if she would have been able to marry Veronica in this situation, if we assume that she would have, I believe some appropriate title would have been given to her.

Another “contender” was Edward A. Kawānanakoa. He was the son of Abigail Kapiʻolani Kawānanakoa and her first husband, Andrew Anderson Lambert. He was a cousin of the abovementioned Abigail, as their mothers were sisters. Edward married Lila de Clark Whitaker in 1946, which could have made her the titular Queen consort, depending on who reigned before him. Edward and Lila had two sons and a daughter together before divorcing in 1960. He remarried to Carolyn Branch the following year and had a further two sons. This made Carolyn Branch the next possible titular Queen consort. Edward died on 29 July 1997.

If we assume his elder son continued the claim, that would be Edward A. K. Kawānanakoa, Jr.. He was born on 7 January 1949 and he died on 5 July 2020, without having married or leaving descendants. The second brother was David Klaren Kawānanakoa II, who died on 1 May 2025. There is no mention of a spouse or children, so we’ll assume the claim passed to the third brother.

Quentin Kūhiō Kawānanakoa was born on 28 September 1961 to Edward A. Kawānanakoa and Carolyn Branch. He married Elizabeth Broun in 1995, and they have two sons together. Elizabeth Broun could thus be considered the current titular Queen consort of Hawai’i.