Prince Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho, styled Lord Maʻatu (17 February 1954 – 17 December 2004), was a member of the Tongan royal family.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho
Prince of Tonga, Lord Maʻatu
BornFatafehi Alaivahamamao Tuku'aho
(1954-02-17)17 February 1954
Royal Palace, Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Died17 December 2004(2004-12-17) (aged 50)
Nukuʻalofa, Tonga
Burial
Spouse
Heimataura Seiloni
(m. 1980; died 1985)
Alaileula Poutasi Jungblut
(m. 1989)
IssuePrince Tungi
Salote Maumautaimi Tukuʻaho
Sione Ikamafana Tukuʻaho
Etani Tukuʻaho
Names
Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho
HouseTupou
FatherTāufaʻāhau Tupou IV
MotherHalaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe
ReligionMethodism
Close

Biography

Prince Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho was the second son of Crown Prince Tāufaʻāhau and his wife, Crown Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho, and a grandchild of Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga. He was known to be a staunch advocate for the growing democratic movement in Tonga and was dubbed the "people's prince" by activists.

He died in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga on 17 December 2004 of a heart attack and is buried in the Royal Tongan Cemetery known as Malaʻekula.[1]

Personal life and issue

Thumb
Thumb
Lord Maatu and Lady Maatu children

In July 1980, Prince Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo, at the time third in line to the throne, caused controversy in the Tongan royal family when he married his first wife  a commoner, Heimataura Seiloni  in a private ceremony in Hawaii.[2] Heimataura Seiloni was the adopted daughter of Tahitian high chief Matagialalua Tavana Salmon Anderson and daughter of his Tongan wife, Tuimala Kaho, a singer and songwriter.[3] The marriage resulted in the Prince being stripped of his title.[4][5] His wife later died of cancer in Nukuʻalofa on 19 September 1985.

Upon returning to Tonga after the passing of his first wife, he married ʻAlaileula Poutasi Jungblut on 11 July 1989. ʻAlaileula is the Samoan daughter of Melvin Jungblut and his wife Lola Tosi Malietoa, a granddaughter of Malietoa Tanumafili II. Following Prince Maʻatu's death, his widow ʻAlaileula was embroiled in controversy because she allegedly authorised killing the cow owned by the King. This royal rift caused her to briefly return to Samoa before resolving the issue with the royal family.[6]

Lord Maʻatu and Dowager Lady Maʻatu had four children:

Upon the death of Prince Maʻatu, his eldest son Sitiveni Polu Leʻuligana inherited the title, as Prince Tungi.[7] The second son, Sione Ikamafana Tukuʻaho, was raised by his paternal aunt, Princess Salote Mafileʻo Pilolevu Tuita. Such practice is commonplace amongst the Tongan royal family, whereby Princess Lātūfuipeka was also raised by her uncle, King George Tupou V.

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.