Whenever we talk about queens who are dear to their people, we often think of Queen Elizabeth II of England. But, did you know that Tonga also had a monarch that was widely loved by its population? It’s Queen Salote of Tonga. Today, we’ll tell you her story.

Salote Tupou III was born in 1880 and had a rough childhood. She was the daughter of King Tupou II and Queen Lavinia and wasn’t popular among the people because she was born from “the wrong mother”. The problem was Lavinia wasn’t of royal descent before she married the king, what in turn made Salote become a target of public hatred. She couldn’t even leave the palace! When she rose to the throne after her father died, she was seen with much distrust by the people.

Queen Salote’s reign was known for all of the long-due modernizations to the public infrastructure and focus on decreasing the many social issues Tonga faced.

She became famous worldwide because of an episode at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, in London. Chiefs of state from all around the world were invited to the ceremony and so was Queen Salote of Tonga. During the event, it started raining and the government distributed umbrellas and hoods to the ones present. Queen Salote, however, refused. As it’s tradition in Tonga, one must not imitate the one being honored. So, she stayed in the rain during the whole parade.

Queen Salote was the monarch who ruled the longest in Tonga history. She passed away in 1965, when she was succeeded by her son, Tupou IV. To this day we can see the legacy of this leader, that put the needs of her people first whenever she could.

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