Governor Josh Green, M.D.

The Queen’s Royal Standard finally returned home after 130 years. Thanks to two private benefactors, Queen Lili‘uokalani’s Royal Standard, and other historical documents have been saved from the auction block. The Royal Standard was last witnessed flying above Washington Place on January 20, 1893, three days after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom by members of the military force of the Provisional Government.

Colonel John Harris Soper, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Provisional Government, sent a trooper over to Washington Place to inform the Queen that she may fly the Hae Hawai‘i (the Hawaiian Flag we use today for the State), but she could not fly her Royal Standard. Three days later, the Royal Standard was again seen flying at Washington Place, thus Colonel Soper ordered that the flag be seized. From there, it vanished from history until it appeared in the auction catalog at Bonham’s Auction House in Oct 2022.

 

Up until about two years ago, the previous owner of the Royal Standard was the Soper family, at which time it was subsequently bought by a Hawaiian antiques dealer. Wanting to turn over the items to make a profit, he sent the Queen’s Royal Standard, a collection of Soper letters and other Soper artifacts to Bonhams auction house in New York City.

A Notice of Claim was shortly sent to Bonhams. Once received, it quickly took the listing down. The two private benefactors, Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa and Brendan Damon Ethington, purchased the Queen’s Royal Standard and the Soper letters. Deputy Attorney General Dave Allin and State Archivist Dr. Adam Jansen took a trip to New York to physically take custody of the historic objects and hand carry them back home.

The Royal Standard arrived at Washington Place on July 24, 2023, via cultural procession and was made available for public viewing for that day. At a ceremony following the procession, First Lady Jaime Kanani Green said, “Queen Lili‘uokalani was a prime example of peace, prosperity, and servant leadership. She put the well-being of her people first and provided resources in perpetuity for future generations of Hawai‘i. The Royal Standard carries the Queen’s mana, including her legacy of leadership that allows Hawaiʻi to move forward in unity toward a brighter future for our keiki. It has been a humbling honor to welcome the standard home, where it belongs.”

Now the Queen’s Royal Standard is being added to the collection of other kingdom standards in the State Archives, where it will stay until efforts to raise funding to restore it are completed.

“Many of these items and others from the Kingdom desperately need restoration and are in no shape or form to be publicly displayed. The state hopes to raise sufficient funds for these important pieces of Hawai’i’s history to undergo full conservation treatment,” said State Archivist Dr. Adam Jansen. “We also hope that this inspires more people to be on the lookout for historic objects that should be held in the public trust and more benefactors willing to help us acquire these irreplaceable historic objects for the benefit of generations to come.”