Tonga crowns new king

by julianw | July 31, 2008 at 06:48 pm

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Tonga has crowned George Tupou V as its first new king in more than forty years. Mr. Tupou wore a scarlet velvet and ermine trimmed robe for the coronation ceremony, which was attended by a 1,000 person congreation featuring dignitaries from Britain, Japan, and Thailand.

The new monarch was called upon to rule "wisely, justly and truly".

Thousands of people had lined the route to the church and cheered when the new monarch emerged.

Earlier, Prime Minister Fred Sevele defended the lavish festivities marking the coronation saying that "the great majority of Tongans" would make no apologies for them

Officials say some 5.7m Tongan dollars (US$2.5m) have been spent on the event in a country where poverty is widespread.

The king had travelled to the century-old church in an open topped limousine along roads covered with traditional mats with hundreds of seated children waving balloons and Tongan flags.

The investiture was the culmination of a week of festivities that have included a traditional Tongan coronation ceremony, Taumafa Kava, in which the new king took the first drink of kava, a mildly narcotic drink made from crushed kava root, signifying he was the first Tongan.

The festivities have cost an estimated $2.7 million, with the royal robes from a Saville Row tailor in London.