King George Tupou V Royal Family Order founding and conferring a Royal Family Order is intended to recognise Ladies of the Royal Family of Tonga and high-ranking female members of the Monarch's Court. The King George Tupou V Royal Family Order is not open for award to gentlemen. The Order shows a portrait of King George Tupou V in uniform, realized in enamels upon ivory surrounded by a frame of silver and diamonds and surmounted by the royal crown of Tonga in silver and enamels. The ribbon is in water green silk. King George Tupou V Royal Family Order The King George Tupou V Royal Family Order
Monarchies in Oceania July 2008, three days before his coronation, King George Tupou V announced that he would relinquish most of his power and be guided by his Prime Minister's recommendations on most matters. The current monarch is Tupou VI. The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesian people. The islands came under the UK's sphere of influence in the late 19th century. The Ellice Islands were administered by Britain as part of a protectorate from 1892 to 1916 and as part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1916 to 1974. In 1974 the Ellice Islanders voted for separate British dependency status