“I realize I’m walking in the very steps of the king and queen,” says palace guardian Doug Levisnon.

“It’s critically important that we mālama, or take care of, the stories,” says Zita Cup Choy. An effervescent chronologist of Hawaiian history and culture, she is the historian at Iolani Palace in Honolulu, a mashup of Italian Renaissance style and traditional Hawaiian forms that King Kalākua had built in 1882

“People were saying, ‘The Palace would never close, they would never let that happen,’ but realistically we could have,” said Paula Akana, executive director of The Friends of Iolani Palace.

Who is considered the heir to the Hawaiian throne nowadays is contested. Some consider Quentin Kūhiō Kawānanakoa, grandson of Abigail Kapi‘olani Kawānanakoa, to be the heir as his is directly descended from Prince David Kawānanakoa through primogeniture.

After the death of Queen Lili‘uokalani in 1917 at age 79, plans to try to restore the monarchy waned and legal disputes for restoration and/or compensation offered no results. Prince Kūhiō, who has a Hawaiian state holiday named after him now, eventually became the Hawaiian Delegate to the U.S. House

Iolani Palace will add an additional day of operations for tours beginning June 1, officials announced today. Guests will be offered self-led audio tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, adding to other tour options currently available Wednesdays through Fridays.

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Friends of Iolani Palace is celebrating its 55th anniversary with a week-long virtual hoolaulea from June 6 to 12. The festivities include an online auction, virtual film screening and discussion surrounding the Palace restoration, and a virtual concert. The online auction on June 6 features artwork

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Friends of Iolani Palace is celebrating its 55th anniversary with a week-long virtual hoolaulea from June 6 to 12. The festivities include an online auction, virtual film screening and discussion surrounding the Palace restoration, and a virtual concert. The online auction on June 6 features artwork

While Queen Kapi‘olani and sister Princess Lili‘uokalani were in Europe attending Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, King Kalākaua faced more dire circumstances. The Hawaiian League (a secret society that formed in early 1887 with the purpose of annexing Hawaii to the United States) and American businessmen controlled a vast