In 1883, during a gala coronation ceremony on the ninth anniversary of King David Kalakaua's ascent to the throne, the king ceremoniously placed one jeweled crown on the head of his wife, Queen Kapi'olani, and then another on his own head.
The moment marked the first time any Hawaiian royals had been ceremonially crowned. It also symbolized the genuine bond between the royal couple.
Kalakaua honored Kapi'olani more than once during the couple's marriage, such as in 1877 when he named a public park in her honor on crown land between Waikiki and Diamond Head.
For Kapi'olani, widowed by her first husband, Bennett Namakeha, a chief, Kalakaua was the object of her affection. She was by the king's side during his first royal tour in 1874, and remained his stalwart representative throughout his reign, such as when she attended British Queen Victoria's golden jubilee in 1887.
Kalakaua, who respected Kapi'olani's opinions, often sought her counsel. The couple worked together to try to stem the decline of the Hawaiian people by founding the Kapi'olani Maternity Hospital and the Home for Leper Girls.
After the death of Kalakaua, Kapi'olani withdrew from the public spotlight. She died in 1899.
