Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe

Halaevalu Mata'aho ʻAhomeʻe (29 May 1926 – 19 February 2017)[1] was the Queen Consort of Tonga from 1965 to 2006, and the widow of the late King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV of Tonga. She was the mother of King George Tupou V and the current reigning King of Tonga, Tupou VI.[2]

Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
Queen Mother of Tonga
Halaevalu in her youth
Queen Consort of Tonga
Tenure16 December 1965 – 10 September 2006
Coronation4 July 1967
Born(1926-05-29)29 May 1926
Tonga
Died19 February 2017(2017-02-19) (aged 90)
Mercy Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
Burial1 March 2017
Spouse
(m. 1946; died 2006)
IssueGeorge Tupou V of Tonga
Salote, Princess Royal
Prince Fatafehi Ala'i'vahamama'o Tuku'aho
Aho'eitu Tupou VI of Tonga
Full name
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
FatherAhomeʻe (Manu-ʻo-pangai)
MotherHeuʻifanga Veikune
ReligionMethodism

Biography

Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe was born on 29 May 1926,[1] the eldest daughter of The Hon. Tevita Manu-’o-pangai, ‘Ahome’e, sometime Governor of Vava’u and Ha’apai and Minister for Police and his wife, Heuʻifanga Veikune, a great-granddaughter of the Tu'i Tonga[1][3][4] She was also a great-great-granddaughter of Maʻafu.[4]

Education

She was educated at St Joseph's Convent School, Nuku’alofa, and St Mary's College, in Auckland, New Zealand.[5]

Marriage

On 10 June 1946, Halaevalu married her distant relative Crown Prince Tāufaʻāhau of Tonga[4] (eldest son of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga (1900-1965) and Prince Viliami Tungī Mailefihi).

The Queen Mother celebrated her 85th birthday in 2011 with a five-day celebration held in May.[3] The celebrations began with a garden party for more than one hundred Tongan women held at the home of the President of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, Rev. Dr. ‘Ahio.[3] The Queen Mother attended a Roman Catholic mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Ma'ufanga with King Siaosi Tupou V on May 26, 2011.[3] The Tongan Ministry of Education, Women Affairs and Culture held a student celebration for her birthday on May 27, with primary school students from Pangai Lahi to Teufaiva Park, presenting the Queen Mother with birthday gifts.[3] A private party was held in Ha'avakatolo the next day, followed by a church service held at the Centennial Church on Sunday, May 29, and a luncheon at the Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa.[3]

The Queen Mother embarked on a two-week trip to the U.S. state of Utah in July and August 2011.[6] Specifically, the Queen Mother came to visit the Tongan United Methodist Church in West Valley City, Utah, whose congregation had raised approximately $500,000 in less than a year to pay off the mortgage on the building.[6] The Mayor of West Valley City, Michael K. Winder, awarded the Queen Mother the key to the city on July 27, 2011.[6] She also met with Utah Governor Gary Herbert the next day.[6]

Death

On 19 February 2017, the Queen Mother died aged 90, which was confirmed by her granddaughter Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho, High Commissioner of Tonga to Australia, a week after she was flown to Auckland, New Zealand, for minor medical issues; the cause of death, however, was not released publicly.

Queen Halaevalu Mataʻaho‘s coffin atop a catafalque carried by hundreds of Pallbearers towards the Royal Tombs.

The Queen Mother was flown back to Tonga by the Royal Beechcraft G.18S Aircraft on February 28 flanked by the C-130 Hercules of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, after lying-in-state at the Tongan royal residence, 'Atalanga in Epsom, Auckland.

Honours

National

Foreign

Ancestry

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

References

  1. "A week of celebration underway for the Queen's 85th Birthday". Ministry of Information and Communications. 2011-05-25. Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  2. Reigning Royal Families: Tonga International Who's Who, retrieved 6 January 2011
  3. "Queen Mother celebrates 85th birthday". Taimi Media Network. 2011-05-31. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  4. "The Royal Family". Tongan Royal Family. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  5. "Halaevalu Mata'aho ʻAhome'e, the Queen Mother of Tonga". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  6. Farmer, Molly (2011-07-30). "Queen Mother of Tonga celebrates with West Valley congregation". Deseret News. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  7. Andrew Cusack
  8. Coronation of King Tupou VI
  9. Getty Images
  10. Star worn on left waist and badge worn beside star on right breast
  11. gpdhome
  12. Mic.gov.to
  13. wearing the order badge on her left breast
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
Born: 29 May 1926 Died: 19 February 2017
Preceded by
Viliami Tungī Mailefihi
as prince consort
Queen Consort of Tonga
1965 – 2006
Succeeded by
Nanasipauʻu Vaea
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