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Tonga prepares for king’s coronation

STANDFIRST: The tiny Pacific nation of Tonga has started planning lavish celebrations for the coronation of its Oxford educated, George Tupou V, who enjoys being driven around the islands in a London black cab.

The festivities in the last remaining Polynesian monarchy, are scheduled for July and will include three coronation balls, a military parade, traditional dancing and a fireworks display. London tailors have designed the king’s ceremonial robes and the uniforms of court officials, and a gold sceptre has been cast for the occasion.

About 1,400 guests, including members of most European and Asian royal families as well as world leaders, will attend the coronation and there are unconfirmed reports that Elton John, Mick Jagger, Elle Macpherson and Sean Connery are on the guest list.

The 60-year-old bachelor king assumed the title in 2006 on the death of his father Taufa’ahau Tupou IV. Five weeks after he ascended to the throne pro-democracy riots broke out in Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa. Rioters targeted many of the king’s businesses, which included an electricity company, a brewery and a telecommunications firm. A large swath of Nuku’alofa was destroyed and eight people died.

Plans for a coronation ceremony last year were shelved because the king said he wanted to target funds on rebuilding Nuku’alofa, but there was also concern that islanders would not welcome extravagant celebrations.

King George has since gone some way towards addressing the pro-democracy movement by selling some of his commercial interests, although he remains a multimillionaire and has close political ties to China. Pro-democracy campaigners fared well in Tonga’s elections last month, but are still outnumbered in parliament by MPs appointed by the king, and the traditional chiefs or nobles of Tonga who support him.— © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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