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Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe

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For her great-granddaughter, see Halaevalu Mata'aho.

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
Kingdom of Tonga
Died19 February 2017(2017-02-19) (aged 90)
Auckland, New Zealand
Burial1 March 2017
Malaʻekula
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1946; died 2006)​
Issue
Names
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
FatherTēvita Manuopangai ʻAhomeʻe
MotherHeuʻifanga Veikune

Halaevalu Mataʻaho 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

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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

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

Marriage

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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 26 May 2011.[3] The Tongan Ministry of Education, Women Affairs and Culture held a student celebration for her birthday on 27 May, 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 29 May, 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

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On 19 February 2017, the Queen Mother died aged 90 in Auckland, New Zealand, a week after leaving Tonga. Her granddaughter Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho, High Commissioner of Tonga to Australia, was reportedly by her bedside when she died.[8][9]

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

The Queen Mother's remains were flown back to Tonga on 28 February, after lying-in-state at the Tongan royal residence, ʻAtalanga in Epsom, Auckland. The date of her funeral on 1 March was declared a public holiday by the Tongan government, which also observed ten days of mourning.[10][11][12]

Honours

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See also: List of honours of the Tongan Royal Family by country

National

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Foreign

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Ancestry

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

Family tree

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "A week of celebration underway for the Queen's 85th Birthday". Ministry of Information and Communications. 25 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  2. ^ Reigning Royal Families: Tonga International Who's Who, retrieved 6 January 2011
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Queen Mother celebrates 85th birthday". Taimi Media Network. 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  4. ^ a b "The Royal Family". Tongan Royal Family. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  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. ^ a b c d Farmer, Molly (30 July 2011). "Queen Mother of Tonga celebrates with West Valley congregation". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  8. ^ "Tonga's Queen Mother dies in Auckland". RNZ. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  9. ^ Vula, Timoci (19 February 2017). "Tonga's Queen Mother dies at 90". The Fiji Times. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Tonga mourns following death of Queen Mother". RNZ. 2 March 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Tonga declares national holiday as tribute for Queen Mother". RNZ. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  12. ^ Latu, Kalino (22 February 2017). "First public memorial service as Queen Mother's body moved to 'Atalanga". Kaniva Tonga News. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  13. ^ Andrew Cusack
  14. ^ Coronation of King Tupou VI
  15. ^ Getty Images
  16. ^ "Royal orders presented at Palace". Matangi Tonga. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  17. ^ gpdhome
  18. ^ a b c d e f g "Congratulations Queen Mother". Nuku'alofa Times. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2022 – via Issu.
  19. ^ "Mic.gov.to". Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  20. ^ wearing the order badge on her left breast
  21. ^ "Rest in Peace: Queen Mother is no more". Nuku'alofa Times. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2022 – via Issu.
Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
Born: 29 May 1926 Died: 19 February 2017
Preceded byas prince consort Queen consort of Tonga
1965 – 2006 		Vacant
Title next held by
Nanasipauʻu Vaea
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