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
Malaʻekula
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1946; died 2006)​
IssueGeorge Tupou V of Tonga
Salote, Princess Royal
Prince Fatafehi 'Alaivahamama'o Tuku'aho
Aho'eitu Tupou VI of Tonga
Names
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
FatherAhomeʻe (Manu-ʻo-pangai)
MotherHeuʻifanga Veikune
ReligionMethodism

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

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 Enele 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 1947, Halaevalu married her distant relative Crown Prince Tāufaʻāhau of Tonga[6] (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.[7] 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.[7] The Mayor of West Valley City, Michael K. Winder, awarded the Queen Mother the key to the city on July 27, 2011.[7] She also met with Utah Governor Gary Herbert the next day.[7]

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 ...

Family tree

References

  1. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Queen Mother celebrates 85th birthday". Taimi Media Network. 2011-05-31. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  4. 1 2 "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. ↑ "DOUBLE WEDDING OF TONGAN PRINCES". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. XVII, no. 12. 18 July 1947. p. 13. Retrieved 18 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Farmer, Molly (2011-07-30). "Queen Mother of Tonga celebrates with West Valley congregation". Deseret News. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  8. ↑ Andrew Cusack
  9. ↑ Coronation of King Tupou VI
  10. ↑ Getty Images
  11. ↑ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  12. ↑ gpdhome
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Congratulations Queen Mother". Nuku'alofa Times. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2022 – via Issu.
  14. ↑ "Mic.gov.to". Archived from the original on 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2015-07-04.
  15. ↑ wearing the order badge on her left breast
  16. ↑ "Rest in Peace: Queen Mother is no more". Nuku'alofa Times. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2022 – via Issu.
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