Funeral Services Set For Princess Regina Kawānanakoa

FUNERAL SERVICES SET FOR PRINCESS REGINA KAWĀNANAKOA

HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – Her Royal Highness Princess Regina Abigail Mary Wahīika‘ahu‘ula Keōpūolani Kawānanakoa of the House of Kawānanakoa died on December 10, 2016 at the age of 69 at her home in East O‘ahu.

Born in Honolulu, Princess Regina, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Edward Kawānanakoa and Lila de Clark Whitaker Kawānanakoa, a direct descendent of Kaua‘i’s King Kaumuali‘i and the great-great-granddaughter of 19th century industrialist James Campbell. She is survived by her mother Lila de Clark Whitaker Kawānanakoa of Mexico; her son, HRH Prince Erik Linstrom Kawānanakoa of Texas; three grandchildren, HRH Prince Nicholas, HRH Princess Alexandra and HRH Prince Lucas; her brothers, HRH Prince Edward, HRH Prince David, HRH Prince Quentin and HRH Prince Pi‘ikoi; an Aunt, Marchesa Kapi‘olani Kawānanakoa Marignoli; a step mother Carol, the Princess Edward Kawānanakoa, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Public services will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at the Kawānanakoa’s family parish, St. Augustine By-The-Sea Catholic Church at 130 ‘Ōhua Ave. in Waikīkī. The public is welcomed at 10:00 A.M. and services will begin at 11:00 A.M. A private inurnment will occur at a later date at O‘ahu Cemetery.

“She always gave, she did not need the attention, her creed was to give,” said longtime friend Watters O. Martin, Jr. of the late Princess.

Kawānanakoa was best known for supporting preservation and historical societies as was evidenced by her lifetime membership in the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace, the authority chiefly responsible for the protection and preservation of the ‘Iolani Palace, once home to her great-great-grand Uncle and Aunt, HM King Kalākaua and Queen Kapi‘olani.

“Princess Regina was a philanthropist who exemplified the spirit of ‘ōpūali‘i – charitable generosity embodied in the actions of a true Ali‘i,” said Hailama Farden, a member of the Hale O Nā Ali‘i O Hawai‘i, a Hawaiian Royal Society.

By her lineage, Princess Regina was a member of various Hawaiian Royal Benevolent Societies including the Hale O Nā Ali‘i O Hawai‘i where she served as member of the Kumu‘ahakalani – The Supreme Council, since birth. Kawananākoa also participated in the Daughters of Hawai‘i and their responsibilities for Hānaiakamalama, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace and the Hulihe‘e Palace in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i.

She was also a lifetime member of the Prince Kūhiō Hawaiian Civic Club founded by her grandaunt, Princess Lili‘uokalani Kawānanakoa who also founded the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace.

Princess Regina’s great grandfather, HRH Prince David Kawānanakoa, was among the few chiefs of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i on whom was bestowed the title of Crown Prince and Heir Apparent to the Throne of the Hawai‘i. He and his Brothers, HRH Prince Keli‘iahonui and HRH Prince Kūhiō were themselves, great grandsons of the last Ruling King of Kaua‘i, King Kaumuali‘i making him Princess Regina’s fourth great grandfather. She published and coauthored with Kristin Zambucka, a historic biography, Kaumuali‘i: King of Kaua‘i.

In remembering his friend, Martin said, “Regina will be dearly missed; her giving without expectation, her love for her motherland and her want to ensure everyone understood the history of this special place, Hawai‘i, will live in all of us and now remains our responsibility.”

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