Description
In May 1887, King Kalākaua sent a Hawaiian delegation to Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. The party included his wife, Queen Kapi’olani, his sister, Princess Lili’uokalani, and the Court Chamberlain, Curtis Iaukea. They landed in Liverpool and then visited several towns and cities on the way to London, including Norwich, where they toured the cathedral and the castle, had afternoon tea at Pine Banks Tower, and enjoyed a state dinner at Rackheath Hall. In London, they were received by Queen Victoria, attended the Golden Jubilee service at Westminster Abbey, and visited Madame Tussaud’s. Further plans to visit Scotland had to be abandoned, however, after the Royal party was told of Kalakaua being forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution. The document took away Kanaka Maoli land rights, undermined the authority of Hawaii’s royalty, and gave voting rights to foreign landowners, a key step towards the United States’ overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and annexation of the country. The Hawaiian delegation decided to return home immediately.
Bibliographic sources
“Queen Kapiolani at Norwich,” East Anglian Daily Times, 7 June 1887, 5; “An Amusing Incident,” Globe, 23 June 1887, 6; “Queen Kapiolani’s Visit to Scotland Abandoned,” Edinburgh Evening News, 25 June 1887, 5. Image by Henry Walter Barnett of Falk Studios – Bishop Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12569226