Tupou VI

Tupou VI
King of Tonga
Reign	18 March 2012 – present
Coronation	4 July 2015
Predecessor	George Tupou V
Heir apparent	Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
Prime Ministers	See list Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō ʻAkilisi Pohiva
Prime Minister of Tonga
Term	3 January 2000 – 11 February 2006
Predecessor	Baron Vaea
Successor	Feleti Sevele
Monarch	Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Born	(1959-07-12) 12 July 1959 Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Spouse	Nanasipauʻu Vaea
Issue	Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Prince Ata
Full name ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho
House	Tupou
Father	Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
Mother	Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
Religion	Methodism

Tupou VI (ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Tongan throne, as his brother (a bachelor) had no legitimate children. He served as Tonga's High Commissioner to Australia, and resided in Canberra until the death of King George Tupou V on 18 March 2012, when ʻAhoʻeitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho became King of Tonga, with the regnal name Tupou VI.

Life

The Leys School, Cambridge

He was born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, the third son and youngest child of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV. He was educated at The Leys School, Cambridge, from 1973–77. He then attended the University of East Anglia, where he read Development Studies, from 1977 to 1980. He started his career in the military, joining the naval arm of the Tonga Defence Services in 1982 and becoming a Lieutenant-Commander in 1987. He graduated from the US Naval War College as part of Class 33 in 1988. From 1990 to 1995 he commanded the Pacific-class patrol boat VOEA Pangai and his time in charge included peacekeeping operations in Bougainville. He graduated with a masters in Defence Studies from the University of New South Wales in 1997 and with a MA in International Relations from Bond University in 1999.

In 1998 he ended his military career to become part of the government, first as the defence minister and the foreign minister at the same time, from October 1998 until August 2004. He took over these posts from his elder brother Tupoutoʻa, at that time still the crown prince, later to become King Siaosi Tupou V (see below). Soon he was appointed as Prime Minister on 3 January 2000, a function he kept until his sudden resignation on 11 February 2006. Its reason has never been made clear, but was probably due to the unrest from a series of pro-democracy protests calling since mid-2005 for a lesser role for the royal family in government. His appointed successor, Feleti Sevele, was Tonga's first prime minister who was not a hereditary estate holder or a member of the 33 noble families that make up the Tongan aristocracy. In 2008 ʻAhoʻeitu was appointed Tonga's first High Commissioner to Australia, a post he held until his succession to the Tongan throne in 2012. In 2013 he was appointed as Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific.

Marriage and family

Tupoutoʻa-Lavaka (centre) uncombed, unshaven and in mourning dress for his recently deceased father, king Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV in 2006. He is flanked by his two sons, the new chiefs ʻUlukālala (left) and Ata (right)

ʻAhoʻeitu is married to a daughter of the high chief Vaea, Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho (his second cousin) and the couple have three children:

• HRH Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho – ʻAngelika Lātūfuipeka Halaʻevalu Mataʻaho Napuaʻokalani Tukuʻaho (17 November 1983)
  She followed her father's steps to be the current High Commissioner to Australia since August 2012.
• HRH Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala – Siaosi Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho (17 September 1985, Nukuʻalofa). He married on 12 July 2012 the Hon. Sinaitakala Fakafanua, daughter of late High Chief Kinikinilau Fakafanua and HRH Princess Ofeina, Lady Fakafanua, both King Tupou VI's first cousins. They have two children:
  • ... HRH Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo – Taufaʻahau Manumataongo Tukuʻaho (born 10 May 2013, Auckland).
  • ... HRH Princess '''[[Halaevalu Mata'aho]]''' (born 12 July 2014, Auckland).
• HRH Prince Ata – Viliami ʻUnuaki-ʻo-Tonga Mumui Lalaka-Mo-e-ʻEiki Tukuʻaho (Nukuʻalofa, 27 April 1988).

Royal Family of Tonga
HM The King HM The Queen HRH The Crown Prince HRH The Crown Princess HRH Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo HRH Princess Halaevalu Mata'aho HRH Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho HRH Prince Ata HM The Queen Mother HRH Princess Salote, Princess Royal and Lady Tuita The Hon. Lord Siosa'ia Tuita Extended royal family Hon. Sālote Lupepau'u Tuita Hon. 'Epeli Taione Hon. Phaedra Anaseini Hon. Titilupe Fanetupouvava'u Tuita Hon. Siaosi Kiu Tau-ki-Vailahi Kaho Hon. Simon Tu'ivakano Hon. Michaela Tu'ivakano Hon. Fatafehi Tu'ivakano Hon. Frederica Lupe'Uluiva Tuita Hon. Johnny Filipe Hon. Latu'alaifotu'aika Fahina Hon. Lupeolo Halaevalu Tuita The Hon. Dowager Lady Ma’atu HSH The Prince Tungi The Hon. Fatafehi Sione Ikamafana The Hon. ‘Etani Ha’amea Tupoulahi The Hon. Salote Maumautaimi Haim HSH Prince Viliami Tu’i Pelehake HSH Princess Fifita Holeva Tuʻihaʻangana HRH Princess Mele Kalaniuvalu-Fotofili HRH Princess Lavinia Ma'afu HRH Princess Sinaitakala Fakafanua Hon. Kinikinilau, 7th Lord Fakafanua Hon. Fakaola Fakafānua

Name and titles

Styles of King Tupou VI of Tonga
Reference style	His Majesty ko ʻene ʻafio
Spoken style	Your Majesty ko hoʻo ʻafio
Alternative style	Sir

It is customary in Tongan culture that princes get a traditional chiefly title, by which they then are commonly known (and no longer by their baptised name). As such for many years, until his confirmation as heir presumptive, ʻAhoʻeitu was known by either one or all three of the titles which were bestowed on him over the time: '''[[Lavaka (title)|Lavaka]]''' from Pea, '''[[Ata (title)|{{okina}}Ata]]''' from Kolovai and '''[['Atata|{{okina}}Atatā]]''', and ʻUlukālala from Vavaʻu. These titles may be used in any order, (the one belonging to the area from which the speaker is coming usually first). Nevertheless, the sequences Lavaka Ata ʻUlukālala and ʻUlukālala Lavaka Ata were most common.

Since his confirmation as heir presumptive, he got the traditional title of Tupoutoʻa, reserved for crown princes, which his older brother (the second) had to give up because he married a commoner, while two of his previous titles went to his sons. As such he was until his accession to the throne known as Tupoutoʻa Lavaka. His elder son, Siaosi, (George) is to be addressed by the prestigious title of ʻUlukālala, while his second son, Viliami, (William) was bestowed with ʻAta.

Coronation

King Tupou VI after his coronation ceremony in Nuku'alofa on 4 July 2015

King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u were crowned in a ceremony conducted at Centenary Church in Nuku'alofa on 4 July 2015 by Reverend D'Arcy Wood, a retired Uniting Church in Australia minister who was born in Tonga. He was assisted by Reverend Dr ‘Ahio and Reverend Dr Tevita Havea, the president and the secretary general of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. The celebrations included many international invited guests, and an estimated 15,000 people, mostly expatriate Tongans, flew in to join the celebrations.

During the ceremony, Tupou VI was anointed with holy oil, adorned with a ring, and presented with a sceptre. The crown was then placed on his head by Wood, who performed the anointing and crowning as a matter of circumventing the taboo on native Tongans touching the King's head. The celebrations ran for a total of eleven days, beginning a week before the ceremony.

Honours

Royal monogram of Tupou VI

See also List of honours of the Tongan Royal Family by country

National orders

He is Grand Master of the Royal Orders of Tonga :

• The Royal Order of Pouono
• The Royal Order of King George Tupou I
• The Most Illustrious Order of Queen Salote Tupou III – Knight Grand Cross (31.7.2008)
• The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga
• The Royal Order of the Phoenix
• The Royal Military Order of St. George
• The Most Devoted Royal Household Order of Tonga – Knight Grand Cross (1.8.2011)

Decorations

•  : King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV Coronation Silver Jubilee Medal (4.7.1992)
•  : King George Tupou V Coronation Medal (31.7.2008)
•  : Tonga Defence Services General Service (Bougainville) Medal (4.7.1995)
•  : Tonga Defence Services Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

Ancestry

See the Tongan language page and ancestor's page ...

Ancestors of Tupou VI

16. Viliami Tungī Halatuituia               8. Siaosi U. Tukuʻaho                       17. ʻAnaseini Tupou Veihola               4. Viliami Tungī Mailefihi                             18. Sūnia Mafileʻo               9. Mele Siuʻilikutapu                       19. Fane Tupou Vavaʻu               2. Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV                                   20. Siaosi Fatafehi Toutaitokotaha               10. George Tupou II                       21. ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku               5. Sālote Tupou III                             22. ʻAsipeli Kupuavanua Fotu               11. Lavinia Veiongo Fotu                       23. Tōkanga Fuifuilupe               1. George Tupou VI                                         24. Taniela ʻOtukolo ʻAhomeʻe               12. Solomone Piutau ʻOtukolo ʻAhomeʻe                       25. Siulolovau Vaea               6. Tēvita Manuopangai ʻAhomeʻe                             26. Viliami Maealiuaki Mafileʻo               13. ʻAmelia Moʻungaʻaelangi Maealiuaki                       27. Maʻata Peleki               3. Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe                                   28. Siosāteki Tonga Veikune               14. Fotu ʻa Falefā Veikune                       29. ʻAkanesi Tuʻifua               7. Heuʻifanga Veikune                             30. Siale ʻAtaongo               15. Vāhoi ʻAtaongo                       31. Tupou Moheofo

See also

• Line of succession to the Tongan throne
• List of national leaders

External links

• Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata at the Internet Movie Database
• Government Biography

Tupou VI House of Tupou Born: 12 July 1959
Political offices
Preceded by Tupouto'a Tungi	Minister for Foreign Affairs 1998–2004	Succeeded by Sonatane Tuʻa Taumoepeau-Tupou
Preceded by Vaea	Prime Minister of Tonga 2000–2006	Succeeded by Feleti Sevele
Titles of nobility
Preceded by George Tupou V	Chief Tupoutoʻa 2006–2012	Succeeded by Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala
Diplomatic posts
New office	High Commissioner to Australia 2008–2012	Succeeded by Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho
Regnal titles
Preceded by George Tupou V	King of Tonga 2012–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala