H.R.H Princess Owana Kaʻōhelelani
Her Royal Highness Princess Owana Kaʻōhelelaniʻs grandfather was the only son of HRH Princess Theresa Owana Kaʻōhelelani Laʻanui, the absolute primogeniture heir of HRH Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui of the Kamehameha Dynasty.
Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui was officially proclaimed Eligible to be a Ruler by H.M. King Kamehameha III and was made Pre-emptive to the Throne and groomed for the position since the age of 5 years old.
After the illegal overthrow and the unfortunate death of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1917 which ended the dynastic line of succession, her cousin, the High Chiefess Princess Elizabeth Kekaʻaniau Laʻanui became the Head of the Royal House and the only aliʻi and sole survivor of the royal family who attended the Chiefs Children's School. In 1917, Princess Elizabeth is the only aliʻi who is Pre-emptive to the Throne and Eligible to become a Ruler under the constitutional laws of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Providing consistent continuity of the royal house, Princess Elizabeth publicly proclaimed her sovereign rights as the Head of the Royal House after the death of the queen in 1917.
International Law based on Natural Law provides that the most lawful claim to the throne or the Head of the Royal House can continue their royal prerogatives. "Jura regalia", her dynastic rights as "de jure", the legitimate right of the sovereign, possessing "fons honorum", giving her the right to maintain royal titles and the right to appoint royal titles and honors, even under a deposed kingdom.
The hereditary continuation of the dynastic rights of the head of the royal house to the absolute primogeniture of the royal house is a "generation to generation" life long protest against the occupying government, thus preserving sovereignty.
After the passing of Princess Elizabeth in 1928, her niece, Princess Theresa Owana Kaʻōhelelani Laʻanui inherits the "fons honorum" as Head of the Royal House and continues her royal prerogatives.
Born under the monarchy was her son, the primogeniture heir, Prince Robert Keoua Kalanikupuapaʻikalaninui Wilcox, having his first born child, a daughter, Princess Helena Kalokuokamaile, who was hanai and raised by the Princess Theresa Owana Kaʻohelelani Laʻanui and became Head of the Royal House as the absolute primogeniture heir after her death in 1944. Her daughter, Princess Owana Kaʻōhelelani Salazar succeeded her and became the Head of the Royal House in 1988, continuing the responsibilities of the royal prerogatives and the fons honorum. Giving the right to maintain royal titles and the right to appoint royal titles and honors, even under a deposed kingdom.
Her son, HRH Prince Noa Kalokuokamaile III will succeed her.
Princess Owana is establishing relationships with other legitimate royal houses around the world. Especially among those nations that recognized the independence of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
3 February 2017, Fatima, Portugal. HRH Princess Owana Ka‘ōhelelani Salazar has reestablished the Royal Order of the Crown of Hawai‘i in a protocol exchange with HRH Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza and Head of the Royal Family of Portugal, and other members of royal families and nobility of Europe and Africa. This historic event is the first exchange of royal honors between foreign houses of royalty and the Hawaiian Kingdom since the overthrow 124 years ago.
The Order was first introduced and created as the Order of the Crown and Cross by H.M. King Kamehameha III in July 1848, on the advice of his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert C. Wyllie. Although the decorations, motto & colors were not created because of resistance by the Americans in the islands to establish the order. This order was held in abeyance until revised under the fons honorum in 2016 by HRH Princess Owana Kaʻōhelelani, who is the current Head of the Royal House of Hawaiʻi and Grandmaster of the order. The revised 2016 order installs the name as the Royal Order of the Crown of Hawaiʻi with the ribbon colors of gold with purple edges, the shield has a purple ring surrounding the Hawaiian crown with the motto "Onipaʻa". The motto is that of H.M. King Kamehameha V as well as H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani, which has the meaning to be steadfast and to be firmly bound together.
A second order was also created in 1883 by H.M. King Kalākaua as the Order of the Crown, its statutes installed the ribbon colors with blue and white, the shield has a blue ring surrounding the Hawaiian crown with the motto as "Hawaiʻi Ke Kalaunu", which has the meaning of the Hawaiian Crown. This order is currently still held in abeyance after H.M. Queen Liliʻuokalani was illegally deposed on January 17, 1893.
The revised Royal Order of the Crown of Hawaiʻi is highly awarded to the head of states/dynasties,
also as awards of merit to loyal supporters of the royal family and those who provide excellent services in the field of cultural achievement and education in Hawaii.
Princess Owana is committed to recognizing great service to the Hawaiian nation, through the resumption of awarding membership in the Royal Order of the Crown, the first order of knighthood conceived for the Hawaiian Kingdom and thus the oldest. At a gala at Fatima, Princess Owana and her family were awarded several honors.
Received by Princess Owana were Dame Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Royal House of Portugal, Dame Grand Cross of the Royal House of Egypt, Dame Grand Cross of the Crested Crane of Rwanda, these being some of the highest honors bestowed by these royal families. The deep and cordial relations between the Portuguese and Hawaiian royal houses and their peoples were acknowledged by H.M. King Kalākaua in awarding the grand cross of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I to H. M. King Luis I of Portugal in 1881. The present ceremony is in the spirit of the historic relationship between the two nations.
Her Royal Highness the Princess Owana was also awarded the Grand Cross of the Royal Brotherhood of the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing by His Excellency Bishop D. Manuel Antonio Mendes dos Santos who through the Grand Chaplain admitted her as a Professed Dame given the fact she is a practicing Roman Catholic.