List of heirs to the Hawaiian throne
This is a list of the individuals who were, at any given time, considered the next in line to inherit the throne of Kingdom of Hawaii, should the incumbent monarch die. Those who actually succeeded (at any future time) are shown in bold. Stillborn children and infants surviving less than a month are also included.
It May Be noted that the succession was highly uncertain, and was not governed by a fixed convention, for much earlier history of the kingdom. It was only upon the later years of the monarchy that the monarchs took care in choosing an heir before their own death. Also all the Hawaiian monarchs, with the exception of the first, were unable to produce offsprings that lived passed childhood.
Significant breaks in the succession and years where the monarch had no legally chosen heir are not shown in the table below. Although the founding monarch, Kamehameha I, had sons prior Liholiho, there was no designated heir between the years 1795, the monarchy’s fouding date, to the year 1797, the year of Liholiho’s birth. Officially chosen heirs during and after Kamehameha III’s reign were granted the title Crown Prince or Crown Princess and styled His or Her Royal Highness.
Constitutional Heirs
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to Monarch |
Became heir |
Reason |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Successions unconstitutional 1795-1840 |
Kamehameha I |
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Alexander Liholiho |
Heir presumptive |
Adoptive son of king |
1840 |
first constitution inaugrated |
11 Jan 1855 |
became king |
Moses Kekuaiwa |
Kamehameha III |
Lot Kapuaiwa (1848-1855) |
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No Constitutionally recognized Heir 1855-1858 |
Kamehameha IV |
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Albert Edward Kauikeaouli |
Heir apparent |
Eldest son |
20 May 1858 |
birth to the king |
27 August 1862 |
death |
? |
|
No Constitutionally recognized Heir 1862-1863 |
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Victoria Kamamalu |
Heiress presumptive |
sister |
30 Nov 1863 |
recognized by Article 22 of the Constitution of 1864 |
29 May 1866 |
death |
? |
Kamehameha V |
Succession Disputed 1866-1872 |
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Succession Disputed 1873-1874 |
Lunalilo |
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William Pitt Leleiohoku II |
Heir presumptive |
younger brother |
14 February 1874 |
Royal Proclamation |
9 April 1877 |
death |
Liliuokalani |
Kalākaua |
Liliuokalani |
Heiress presumptive |
younger sister |
10 April 1877 |
Royal Proclamation |
29 Jan 1891 |
became Queen Regnant |
Likelike |
|
Kaiulani |
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Kaiulani |
Heiress presumptive |
niece |
9 March 1891 |
aunt became queen |
January 17, 1893 |
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom |
David Kawananakoa |
Liliuokalani |
16 January 1895 |
abdication of the queen |
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1797 to 1872
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to Monarch |
Became heir |
Reason |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liholiho |
Heir apparent |
Eldest son |
1797 |
birth |
20 May 1819 |
became king |
Kauikeaouli |
Kamehameha I |
Kauikeaouli |
Heir presumptive |
Only brother |
20 May 1819 |
brother became king |
6 June 1825 |
became king |
Nahienaena |
Kamehameha II |
Nahienaena |
Heiress presumptive |
Only sister |
6 June 1825 |
brother became king |
January 1832 |
son born to king |
Kinau |
Kamehameha III |
Keaweaweulaokalani |
Heir apparent |
Eldest son |
January 1832 |
birth |
February 1832 |
death |
Nahienaena |
|
Nahienaena |
Heiress presumptive |
Only sister |
February 1832 |
death of nephew |
September 1836 |
son born to king |
Kinau or Alexander Liholiho |
|
Keiki (child) |
Heir apparent |
Stillborn son w/Nahienaena |
September 1836 |
birth |
hours later |
death |
Nahienaena |
|
Nahienaena |
Heiress presumptive |
Only sister |
September 1836 |
death of nephew/son |
30 December 1836 |
death |
Kinau or Alexander Liholiho |
|
Alexander Liholiho |
Heir presumptive |
Adoptive son |
30 December 1836 |
death of sister of king |
circa 1839 |
son born to king |
Moses Kekuaiwa |
|
9 February 1834 |
Adoption (Hanai) 30 December 1836 |
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Keaweaweulaokalani II |
Heir apparent |
Eldest surviving son |
circa 1839 |
Closest in relation or adoption |
circa 1839 |
death |
Alexander Liholiho |
|
Alexander Liholiho |
Heir presumptive |
Adoptive son of Kamehameha III |
circa 1839 |
Closest in relation |
11 Jan 1855 |
became king |
Moses Kekuaiwa (1839-1848) |
|
Lot Kapuaiwa (1848-1855) |
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Lot Kapuaiwa |
Heir presumptive |
Elder brother |
11 Jan 1855 |
Closest in relation |
20 May 1858 |
son born to king |
Victoria Kamamalu |
Kamehameha IV |
Albert Edward Kauikeaouli |
Heir apparent |
Eldest son |
20 May 1858 |
birth as son of the king |
27 August 1862 |
death |
Lot Kapuaiwa |
|
Lot Kapuaiwa |
Heir presumptive |
Elder brother |
11 Jan 1855 |
Closest in relation |
30 Nov 1863 |
King dies without legally proclaming an heir |
Victoria Kamamalu |
|
Lot Kapuaiwa |
Heir presumptive |
Elder brother |
30 Nov 1863 |
brother died leaving role of monarch to the Kuhina Nui |
30 Nov 1863 |
Granted the throne |
Ruth Keelikolani |
Kaahumanu IV |
Victoria Kamamalu |
Heiress presumptive |
sister |
30 Nov 1863 |
brother became king |
29 May 1866 |
death |
Ruth Keelikolani |
Kamehameha V |
Ruth Keelikolani |
Possible heirs |
half-sister |
29 May 1866 |
Death of king's sister |
11 Dec 1872 |
King dies without legally proclaming an heir |
Bernice Pauahi |
|
Bernice Pauahi |
first cousin once removed |
refusal to take the crown |
Ruth Keelikolani |
Kamehameha Heirs
The following are the heirs of the Head (pretender) of the Kamehameha blood-line's claim to the throne to the death of the last pretender. Although none of these pretenders pretended or seeked the throne; they were merely head of a dying house.
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to the Head |
Became heir |
Reason |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bernice Pauahi |
Heiress presumptive |
first cousin |
11 Dec 1872 |
Closest in relation |
24 May 1883 |
became Head |
Albert Edward Kunuiakea |
Ruth Keelikolani |
Albert Edward Kunuiakea |
Heir presumptive |
first cousin once removed |
24 May 1883 |
last of Kamehameha's bloodline |
16 October 1884 |
became Head |
none |
Bernice Pauahi |
1873 to 1874
From 1873 to 1874 during the reign of William Charles Lunalilo, another bachelor king like his predecessor Kamehameha V, there were no official heirs. But a few chiefs and chiefesses, the closest in relationship to Lunalilo, were thought to have been eligible to succeed to the throne. And two were the competing pair in the Royal Election of 1874.
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to Monarch |
Became heir |
Representation |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emma Rooke |
Possible heir |
second cousin |
8 Jan 1873 |
from Family of Keoua Nui through Kealiimakai |
3 Feb 1874 |
King dies without legally proclaming an heir |
Peter Kaeo |
Lunalilo |
Ruth Keelikolani |
second cousin once removed |
from the Family of Keoua Nui through Kamehameha |
Bernice Pauahi |
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Bernice Pauahi |
second cousin once removed |
from the Family of Keoua Nui through Kamehameha |
Bernice Pauahi |
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Elizabeth Kekaaniau |
second cousin once removed |
from the Family of Keoua Nui through Kalokuokamaile |
Theresa Owana Laanui |
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David Kalakaua |
four cousin |
as the highest ranking male alii in the Kingdom |
William Pitt Leleiohoku II |
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Charles Kanaina |
father |
as the closest relative of the king |
William Pitt Leleiohoku II |
1874 to 1893
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to Monarch |
Became heir |
Reason |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Monarch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
William Pitt Leleiohoku II |
Heir presumptive |
younger brother |
14 February 1874 |
Royal Proclamation |
9 April 1877 |
death |
Liliuokalani |
Kalākaua |
Liliuokalani |
Heiress presumptive |
younger sister |
10 April 1877 |
Royal Proclamation |
29 Jan 1891 |
became Queen Regnant |
Likelike |
|
Kaiulani |
||||||||
Kaiulani |
Heiress presumptive |
niece |
9 March 1891 |
aunt became queen |
January 17, 1893 |
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom |
David Kawananakoa |
Liliuokalani |
16 January 1895 |
abdication of the queen |
Kalākaua Heirs
The following are the heirs of the Kalākaua pretender to the throne to the death of the last Kalākaua pretender.
Heir |
Status |
Relationship to Pretender |
Became heir |
Reason |
Ceased to be heir |
Reason |
Next in succession |
Pretender |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kaiulani |
Heiress presumptive |
niece |
17 January 1893 |
Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom |
6 March 1899 |
death |
David Kawānanakoa |
Liliuokalani |
16 January 1895 |
abdication of the queen |
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David Kawānanakoa |
Heir presumptive |
first cousin once removed |
6 March 1899 |
death of Kaiulani |
2 June 1908 |
death |
Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole |
|
Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa |
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Edward David Kawānanakoa |
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Edward David Kawānanakoa |
Heir presumptive |
first cousin twice removed |
2 June 1908 |
death of father |
11 November 1917 |
became pretender |
Abigail Kapiolani Kawānanakoa |
Heirs of the Current Pretending Houses
Kawānanakoa Heirs
The following are the heirs of the Kawānanakoa pretender to the throne to the two current Kawānanakoa pretenders.