Tonga's Crown Prince Tupouto'a, the poverty stricken nation's new king, is an eccentric bachelor who collects toy soldiers, studied at an exclusive British military academy and has a penchant for wearing self-awarded medals. The new king, 58, was sworn in yesterday in the capital, Nuku'alofa, by Wellington lawyer Anthony Ford, who himself had been sworn in as Tonga's chief justice only hours earlier. Tupouto'a sexuality has prompted years of speculation in Tonga, and serious questions over whether he can be king. Unmarried, he has no heir. He publicly denies he is gay or a playboy, claiming to work hard, and says it is too late to get married. "It would be pretty ridiculous for a 60-year-old man to take his kids to kindergarten, you know, people will forever be asking the poor kid, is this your grandfather?" The ascension follows the death of the 88-year-old King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, whose 41-year reign ended with his death at an Auckland hospital late on Sunday night, surrounded by members of the royal family. The new king, whose coronation is expected to be held next year, assumes the monarch's powers immediately. King Tupouto'a has a colourful past and a love-hate relationship with his new subjects. He has previously said Tongans are squatters who "left to their own devices they would urinate in the elevators. As it is, they see nothing wrong with allowing their pigs to run all over their townships leaving pig droppings everywhere." He was educated at Sydney's Newington College and at Britain's exclusive Sandhurst Royal Military Academy. He still wears a rich array of military uniforms complete with self-awarded medals. His father appointed him to the cabinet in 1979, as foreign minister. In the diplomatic world he was regarded as something of a parody, showing no interest in Tongan or South Pacific regional affairs. King Tupouto'a says he first sampled alcohol as a five-year-old; it marked the beginning of rich living. He is a stalwart of the Nuku'alofa Club and regularly suffers crippling gout. Tupouto'a lives in a mansion outside Nuku'alofa, complete with an Olympic-sized swimming pool to run his model boats on. It has marble columns, tiger statues, rich woods and, oddly, hidden electricity transformers which convert Tonga's 220-volt power to 110-volt – because Tupouto'a likes American appliances. He is an avid collector of toy soldiers and stages Agatha Christie type murder mysteries in Nuku'alofa for his friends. Ref: NZ Herald (m)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 13th September 2006 - 12:00pm