ʻUluvalu
Sione ʻUluvalu Ngū Takeivūlai Tukuʻaho (7 October 1950 — 5 July 2006 (6 July in Tonga)) became the Tuʻi Pelehake, an hereditary title in the kingdom of Tonga, after the death of his father in 1999.
As his father was the brother of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, he had the right to carry the 'his royal highness' title as well. He had one younger brother and four sisters.
ʻUluvalu married late, 28 November 1998, with Kaimana Aleamotuʻa (12 March 1960 — 5 July 2006); the couple had no children. He became a parliamentarian, the Haʻapai representative of the nobles, but often backing the representatives of the people and the pro-democracy movement, many of whom felt he should succeed the ailing king. He was a leading pro-democracy advocate within the royal family. Radio New Zealand article Tuʻi Pelehake (ʻUluvalu) was dubbed the "prince of the people" by ordinary Tongans.
He died prematurely, along with his wife and driver, in a car accident in Menlo Park, California, near San Francisco, where he was meeting with Tongan citizens to discuss reforms.[1] Edith Delgado, 18, driving a Ford Mustang, allegedly caused the crash when her car struck the side of the Ford Explorer that the royal couple were riding in. The Explorer lost control and rolled over several times, killing all inside. Delgado's car was reportedly speeding up to 100 miles per hour and was possibly racing other cars on the highway at the time. She was arrested at the scene. [2] She plead not guilty at the first court hearing, but was jailed with a bail bond of $3 million. Attorneys for Delgado appealed the bond amount, which was 10 times larger than court guidelines suggested, and on September 11, 2006 the California Court of Appeal overturned the bail, finding there was no justification given in the original order for such a high amount, and ordered a new hearing September 13..[3]
Notes and references
- ^ "U.S. car crash kills Tonga royals". CNN. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Prince and princess of Tonga die in crash". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 2006-07-14.
- ^ Marisa Largos (September 11, 2006). "Bail reduction ordered in crash that killed Tongan royals". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
- Tonga Chronicle newspaper, 3 August 2006