It has been revealed that Hon Faka’osifono Valevale is expected to engage to Hon Sālote Maumautaimi Tuku’aho soon.
The news was confirmed to Kaniva News by Tongan Correspondent and former Editor Faka’osi Maama, who is also very close with Hon Valevale’s family.
The engagement “was expected to be held in September”, Maama said in Tongan.
Hon Valevale is the eldest son of Lord Nuku, an MP and one of the king’s nobility estate holders. His estate is Kolonga.
The revelation came eight years after Hon Valevale proposed to the king’s only daughter, Princess Angelika Tuku’aho in 2014.
In 2017 Hon Valevale and his kāinga arrived at the royal palace in Nuku’alofa followed by a cultural presentation.
It was part of a normal procedure for the nobility and their kāinga to visit and meet the king in the new year.
Lord Nuku told Kaniva News at the time that part of the presentation was to check on his son’s proposal to the Princess.
He said the king’s herald responded and said he was not in a position to say “yes or no” on the proposal.
According to Lord Nuku this meant the king has yet to make decision on the wedding plan.
King’s niece
Hon Sālote is a niece of King Tupou VI. She is the only daughter of the late Lord Ma’atu and Samoan born Hon Alaileula Tuku’aho. Lord Ma’atu was an older brother of the king.
Lord Ma’atu was born Prince Fatafehi Alaivahamamao Tuku’aho.
The Prince was second in line to the throne, after the death of his father, the Late King Taufa’āhau Tupou IV in 2006.
However, Prince Fatafehi’s previous marriage to a commoner, Heimataura Seiloni resulted in him being stripped of his princely title, according to the constitution. This meant, his children including Hon Sālote could not traditionally hold the princessly or princely titles.
However, the Late King George V bestowed the title Prince Tungī Mailefihi to Lord Ma’atu’s eldest son, Hon Sālote’s brother, Sitiveni Polu Le’uligana Tuku’aho.
Under the Tongan constitution, “It shall not be lawful for any member of the Royal Family who is likely to succeed to the throne to marry any person without the consent of the King. And if any person should thus marry the marriage shall not be considered legal and it shall be lawful for the King to cancel the right of such person and his heirs to succeed to the Crown of Tonga”.
