Order of King George Tupou I Order of King George Tupou I The Royal Order of King George Tupou I is a knighthood order of the Kingdom of Tonga. The Order was established between 1876–1890 by King George Tupou I as a general reward for meritorious services to the kingdom. The Order consists of three classes: In 2008 King George Tupou V declared the classes of Knight Commander and Commander obsolete. The "Star" is a 90mm 8-pointed silver, silver-gilt & enamel faceted Star with four silver Tongan crowns on the main points, (in the North, South, East & West). The white enamel central medallion has the
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