George Tupou I the constitution was promulgated and Tonga officially became a kingdom. Siaosi then took the name George Tupou I, King of Tonga. For this reason, both 1845 and 1875 are quoted as the beginning of his reign. He died in 1893 at the age of 95, after a swim in the sea near his palace. He was buried in the New Royal Cemetery in Malaʻekula. His children had predeceased him, so he was succeeded by his great-grandson twice over George Tupou II – the son of the daughter (ʻElisiva Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku) of his son (Tēvita ʻUnga) and the son (Siaʻosi Fatafehi
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