A Life of Destiny - Changed

Three years later, Ka'iulani would enjoy the last Christmas before her life changed forever. On the last day of January in 1893 she would receive three telegrams that would tun her life upside down. Her life was never really her own, but now there were foreigners who were helping themselves to her future. The telegrams arrived from Hawaii. Princess Ka'iulani was in England at the home of her guardians, Mr. and Mrs. Theophilus Davies. The telegrams read, "Monarchy Abrogated." "Queen Deposed." "Break News to Princess."

Ka'iulani's First Winter in England

After experiencing England for the first time, in the summer of 1889, Ka'iulani felt much more a woman of the world than she had a year earlier. She and her sister, Annie Cleghorn, were witness to the beginning of "La Belle Epoch" in London, which inspired Ka'iulani's inner artist and her paintings of the British countryside. Days were spent visiting art galleries, the Crystal Palace, and Tower of London, attending concerts and meeting celebrities of the day. This was an exciting period for the two girls, and their already strong bond, grew even closer. In September, the two girls were enrolled at Great Harrowden Hall in Northamptonshire, England. At school, it was a challenge for Ka'iulani to get used to the bland English diet. Throughout those years, she longed for her native foods of poi, taro, and the raw fish she loved to eat.

The girls first Christmas in England in 1889, was highlighted with a visit from Ka'iulani's cousin Koa, now a handsome young gentleman of twenty-one. Both Kuhio and Koa, attended school in England, but Kuhio was unable to join them. Ka'iulani, now feeling herself a very mature fourteen years old, was eager to meet Koa on more equal footing. She and Koa referred to each other by their English names while in England, Vike and David.
For more of the story see The Ka'iulani Project - About Ka'iulani.