Abigail Kawananakoa had no official title, but as heir to a noble family that ruled Hawaii before her fall in the late 20th century, she was also referred to by many on the island as the “last ali’i” (royal). Hawaii’s governor Josh Green had the flags flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning. Abigail carried the “weight of her office with dignity and humility” and enriched the lives of all who came into contact with her – just like many “Ali’i” before her, he explained.
The great-granddaughter of an Irish businessman who had become wealthy from his sugar plantations in Hawaii was accepted into the royal family at the age of five – more than three decades following they were deposed.
The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898. In 1959, the island chain in the Pacific Ocean became the 50th state of the United States.