Iolani Palace: the American site where a King & a Queen once resided.

Here’s a place many visitors to the Island of Oahu, Hawaii often overlook. Only 3 miles from Waikiki beach in Downtown Honolulu is Iolani Palace. This unique historical landmark boasts the only residence on American soil where Royalty once lived and ruled the islands. Completed in 1882 it was the official residence of King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani, the last reigning monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

From, The House Without a Key (1925), Chapter 1, “Kona Weather.”

"The 'eighties," he sighed. "Hawaii was Hawaii then. Unspoiled, a land of opera bouffe, with old Kalakaua sitting on his golden throne."

"I remember him," Miss Minerva said. "Grand parties at the palace. And the afternoons when he sat with his friends on the royal lanai, and the Royal Hawaiian Band played at his feet, and he haughtily tossed them royal pennies. It was such a colorful, naive spot then, Dan."

"It's been ruined," he complained sadly. "Too much aping of the mainland. Too much of your damned mechanical civilization--automobiles, phonographs, radios--bah! And yet--and yet, Minerva--away down underneath there are deep dark waters flowing still."

From what I understand during his reign the well-traveled monarch, King David Kalakaua, wanted to show the world the Hawaiian’s were now a progressive civilized nation and the days of tribal wars with shark-teeth clubs and spears were long past. The palace indeed is commensurate to the castles, halls, and stately manors, he visited on his historic world-wide diplomatic tour, January to October 1881 seeking foreign alliances for The Kingdom. He became the first reigning monarch to circumvent the globe travelling across the United States, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

I could go on writing more about this fascinating landmark (it had electricity even before the White House.) However, it is better seen than said. And this excellent video (3:56min) by former news anchor, reporter, and Miss Hawaii (2004), Olena Heu, does it well:

If you travel to the islands don’t miss a tour of this fascinating site. Self-led audio tours are readily available Tuesdays-Saturdays, while docent-led tours are available Wednesdays and Thursdays only (advance tickets recommended for these last ones.) They also offer other tours, like: The White Glove, Royal Legacy, and Kalākaua Legacy tours at: tours & admissions. Stop by for a free concert (most Fridays at noon) by The Royal Hawaiian Band, which are regularly scheduled throughout the year.

I’ve been a proud member of The Friends of Iolani Palace since 2011; the organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Iolani Palace and grounds. The way my membership came about was interesting. I actually once hosted a rather glitzy dinner-tour there. It was a evening red carpet, private tour of the Palace. This was followed by a cocktail hour, a traditional Hawaiian dinner, a palace lecture, and finally music entertainment under the stars in the Knights Barracks. As Detective Charlie Chan might put it, “Enchanted evening will remain on scroll of memory for eternity.”

Postscript. Just in case some of you reading this might never have received an invitation to a Royal Ball (smile) here’s one from 2011: