Sinaitakala Fakafanua

Sinaitakala
Crown Princess of Tonga
Sinaitakala at the final day of the festivities of her parents-in-law's coronation
Born	(1987-03-20) 20 March 1987 (age 37)
Spouse	Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala of Tonga ​ ​ (m. 2012)​
Issue	Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu
Names Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Tuku'aho
Father	Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi Fakafānua, 7th Lord Fakafānua
Mother	Princess Sinaitakala 'Ofeina-'e-he-Langi Fakafānua
Religion	Methodism

Princess Sinaitakala Tukuʻaho (née Sinaitakala Tu'imatamoana 'i Fanakavakilangi Fakafānua; 20 March 1987)^[1] is a Tongan royal and wife of the Crown Prince of Tonga, Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala her second cousin, whom she married on 12 July 2012.^[2]

Family

Princess Sinaitakala is the daughter of late Kinikinilau Tūtoatasi, 7th Lord Fakafānua and estate holder of Ma'ufanga, and Princess Sinaitakala 'Ofeina-'e-he-Langi Fakafānua. She has two brothers, current 8th Lord Fakafānua, Fatafehi Kinikinilau Lolomānaʻia and Fakaola mei Langi ʻItafuaʻatonga Tūtoatasi Fakafānua.^[3]

Through her mother, she is a member of the Tongan royal family and, of her right, in line to the country's throne.^[1][4]

Marriage

Controversy

The marriage caused controversy in Tonga, since Fakafānua and Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala are double second cousins.^[1][5] That is, her parents are each the first cousin of the King:

• Fakafanua's father is a son of Kalolaine Ahomeʻe, sister to the Queen Mother Halaevalu, (born Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe).
• Her mother, Princess Sinaitakala 'Ofeina, is the daughter of Prince Sione Ngū Manumataongo Uelingatoni Tukuʻaho (known as The Prince Fatafehi Tuʻipelehake), Prime Minister of Tonga (1965–1991) and a niece to King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV.

The wedding was opposed by some members of the royal family, reportedly due to the close genetic relationship of the couple. Most notable in opposition to the wedding was Hon. Frederica Filipe who took to the media and social media to voice opposition to the marriage.

Wedding ceremony

Sinaitakala Fakafanua married the Crown Prince at the Centenary Church of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in Nuku'alofa on 12 July 2012.^[2] The wedding marked the first marriage of a Tongan crown prince in sixty-five years.^[2] Sinaitakala was 25 years old at the time of her wedding.^[1]

Family tree

v t e Tupou family tree
Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua line Tuʻi Tonga line Tuʻi Kanokupolu line Kalolaine Fusimatalili George Tupou I Fīnau Kaunanga Fifita Vavʻau Tēvita ʻUnga Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu Filiaipulotu Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku Fatafehi Toutaitokotaha Lavinia Veiongo George Tupou II ʻAnaseini Takipō Viliami Tungī Mailefihi Sālote Tupou III Vīlai Tupou (illegitimate son) Tupou Seini Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe Siaosi 'Alipate Tupou, Baron Vaea Tuputupu Ma'afu-'o-Tukuialahi George Tupou V Tupou VI Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Sinaitakala Fakafanua Taufaʻahau Manumataongo
Reference: Fox, James J.; Sather, Clifford (1996). Origins, Ancestry and Alliance: Explorations in Austronesian Ethnography. Canberra: Department of Anthropology, Australian National University. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-7315-2432-7. OCLC 245762652. Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois; D.C. (2008). The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-19-284238-1. OCLC 236158882. Völkel, Svenja (2010). Social Structure, Space and Possession in Tongan Culture and Language: An Ethnolinguistic Study. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-90-272-0283-3. Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999). Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900-1965. Auckland, N.Z: Auckland University Press. p. front. ISBN 978-0-8248-2529-4. OCLC 262293605.

Issue

Her son, Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo, was born on 10 May 2013 and is second in the line of succession to the Tongan throne, after his father.^[4] On 12 July 2014, the Crown Princess gave birth to a daughter, Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho who is third in the line of succession.^[6] On 20 March 2018, her 31st birthday, Crown Princess Sinaitakala gave birth to her third child and second daughter, Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana, at the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand.^[7] On 25 February 2021, Crown Princess Sinaitakala gave birth to her fourth child and third daughter, Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu, at the Calvary Hospital in Canberra.^[8]

Honours

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

• Two Sicilian Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I^[9][10]

References

1. "Tongan crown prince marries second cousin". The Daily Telegraph. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
2. "Tonga Crown Prince weds". Radio New Zealand International. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
3. Photo Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine : Lord Fakafānua, Fakaola Fakafānua (the bride's brothers), Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, Sinaitakala Fakafanua, Princess Latufuipeka Tuku'aho and the Prince Ata (the groom's siblings).
4. "New Tongan heir, Prince Taufa'ahau Manumataongo born May 10 in Auckland", Matangi Tonga, 10 May 2013
5. "Tongan royals to wed as nation struggles with economic crisis". One News. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
6. "Tonga's New Princess: Halaevalu Mataʻaho", Matangi Tonga, 14 July 2014
7. New Princess born – HRH Princess Nanasipau’u, Matangi Tonga, 21 March 2018
8. [1], Matangi Tonga,
9. "Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Tonga honoured by Constantinian Order at London Ceremony – Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George". Constantinian.org.uk. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
10. "Crown Prince & Princess invested in Order of Francis I". Mic.gov.to. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2018.

External links

• Engagement photos.