Iolani Palace: The Only Royal Palace in the United States (Honolulu, Hawaii) 

I lived in Hawaii for a decade and nicer people you will never meet. My heart breaks knowing that Queen Liliuokalani was imprisoned in a lower room, allegedly the basement, of her own home. She wrote Aloha Oe as a 'fairwell to thee' of old Hawaii when their sovereign nation was overthrown by the U.S. Aloha to my friends and adopted family in the islands. ❤🤙

The aggressive overthrow by the USA of the Sovereign Monarchy and State of Hawaii is a reputational stain on the USA that to this day and into the future will not be forgotten or forgiven by the people of the Pacific. Thank you for your honest history.

It had electricity before the White House.

Queen Kapi’olani (King Kalakaua’s wife) was not imprisoned in the place. It was the King’s Sister, Queen Lili’uokalani( the Monarch after the kings death) that was imprisoned.

It's all quite beautiful, but the woodwork (especially the staircase) is truly magnificent.

My thoughts are that I regret the invasion of Hawaii by the United States. I have always believed that the United States was about freedom and Liberty since our Independence from England. That explains the terrific amount of hostility from native Hawaiians. Statehood should always be an honor and not a punishment.

It's funny as you just posted this today as I was going to suggest it. As a former 31 year resident of Hawaii, generally the first Sunday of the month they would offer free tours. I would go several times per year. To see the building and realize everything that was done with the architecture and in relation to other royalty around the world, it was mind blowing. Above they sky light up on the third floor they have offices and do restoration work. I had the chance to go up they and they allowed us to handle (with white gloves) precious artifacts what contained gem stones. In December in honor of Queen Kapiolani, they would have night tours. The ancient light bulbs were lit and they brought the palace alive with floral displays, live Hawaiian music and period actors that gave you a sense of what the palace would have been like during an event in the late 1800's. For visitors to Hawaii I always recommended the Palace to them as the first place to visit to recognize that Hawaii was a nation that was recognized through out the world. Something not mentioned was the basement and in there is a display of Royal Orders given to King Kalakaua as he became the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe plus the first building to have telephone/electricity/indoor plumbing all in the same structure. Thank you for covering this.

Hawaii deserves freedom and sovereignity!

The restored interiors of the Iolani Palace are even more remarkably beautiful than they appear on film. Congratulations for including the sordid history; the US government treated the Kingdom of Hawaii abominably, and it remains one of our national embarrassments and sources of shame.

Wow! This is so beautiful! And that woodwork is amazing! I do have to confess that I didn’t know anything about how Hawaii came to be part of the states. I feel bad for the Queen and her people.

My family was stationed on Oahu and I had the pleasure of touring this place The hand detailing is immaculate there are angel caricatures in the stucco It’s a shame how the Hawaiian aristocracy was overthrown and most of the furnishings was sold or lost too time Hawaii is a beautiful place with an abundance of culture and history

Very classy without being ostentatious. Perfect.

Thank you of highlighting Hawaiian culture!

I've been there. I was in the Navy and on my first Deployment we stopped in Hawaii on the way back. A friend and I asked a cab driver to rake us to the most tourist like place. He took us here. It was a cool tour.

Beautiful palace in a beautiful setting! I loved my many visits to Hawaii, its people and culture and natural beauty. I enjoyed learning the history and its ties to other Pacific Islanders. The one dark shadow of my whole experience was learning about the U.S. take-over of this once sovereign country, and it remains the only time in my life that I was ashamed to be an American. 🇺🇸

Not being a US American I had no idea Hawaii became part of the US via military action, and that late in history.

2:59 Ken, looking up at the incredible bifurcated staircase was my favorite part of the Palace! I’m not exaggerating, I really did gasp at it’s openness, complexity and it’s plain perfection without being over decorated.

This Palace is stunning & the staircase is spectacular!!! Book em Danno!!! 👍👍🙂

3 minutes ish, love that shot of the staircase. The life of royalty, walking up and down grand staircases.

It is surely an elaborate palace... i loved the queens room, although all the rooms and architecture was awesome.. it's a shame what happened to the queen...

I knew that was Hawaii even before even clicked on the video I’ve been here

One hopes for a Restoration.

Love the bifurcated staircase

The palace is magnificent. It has a self guided tour which is great. I believe it was the first palace to have electricity and it’s own generator.

When the Queen was imprisoned, nearly all of her personal belongings & palace furnishings were set out on the lawn & sold like a garage sale. Some furnishings have been returned, repurchased or donated back, & when I was there in 2002, there was minimal furniture on display & little to no carpeting. I suspect, most of the furnishings on display are not original.

Yikes! Drama, who knew? I've never been but if I ever go, I'm gettin' a tour! Thanks, Ken!

When I lived in Hawai'i I toured Iolani Palace several times. The beauty of the koa wood used all through the palace, is so rare, so elegant. My second favorite place to tour was Bishop Museum. Third was the Nu'u'anu Pali Lookout. When I toured Iolani, I pictured Princess Kai'u'lani as a child visiting her large extended family. She was so educated, so intelligent, so prepared for a kingdom she would never rule. Her first name was Victoria, to honor the queen of the UK.

I’ve been here, it’s very beautiful.

I toured the palace many years ago. The Throne room was the only room open for viewing. I lived in Honolulu for a short while.

I love that you have made a video about this palace. I live in Hawaii and have visited it in person and every room is spectacular

I had no idea. Thanks for what your doing. Awesome. ❤

The Gold Room is actually upstairs above the Blue Room. The main floor only has the Blue Room, State Dining Room, Stair Hall and the Throne Room.

thank you!

I was born there before it became a state, say's territory of Hawaii on my birth certificate, family migrated from Korea in the late 1800's, my grandfather was one of the original (founders) paniolo's (cowboys) on the Parker ranch (Big Island) his nick name was Red, my other grandfather served in World War I, buried at Punchbowl cemetery (Cemetery of the Pacific) for military folks, my Dad and Mom are buried right next to him........ Iolani Palace was always there downtown on KIng St. The architecture stood out from the rest of the buildings, you could tell it had some kind of significance at one time......

Very well described. You made the house come alive!

I think Hawaii should be restored as an independent Kingdom!

I love it, such class....😊

Thanks, always enjoy your videos. My family was all born there starting in the Early 1,800's. Visted many times, a beautiful building, and of course tragic story for the Hawaiian People.

LOVE TO HAVE A HOME LIKE THAT

2:21 the archway is awe-inspiring with its nod to royalty.

Looks beautiful and well preserved.

High ceilings keep rooms cooler naturally.

Such beautiful craftsmanship!

When you described the King's desire to build a palace to impress visiting dignitaries and heads of state, I got worried. I pictured a gaudy, over-done, and tasteless building that would be more of an embarrassment than a statement of the King's position. Boy, was I wrong. The design of this house and especially the interior treatments is, if anything, understated. Yet, at the same time, perfectly executed. The craftsmanship of the woodwork, especially, impresses me the most. It is sad that the United States forced the Kingdom of Hawaii to capitulate to our desires. This all happened long before I was born, of course, but I still think it was a travesty of justice.

I’ve been to Hawaii twice. I always rent a vehicle to visit the locals wherever I travel and on Kwai I rented a Jeep. The locals heartbreak over my country’s annexing them still breaks my heart.

Ya'll know that the US along with the Dole family that brought us pineapple juice 🍍 stole a sovereign country. But I still gave Kenny a 👍🏿up for the video. # Independence for Hawaii

I’ve been there and enjoyed the tour very much..

I have been to Iolani Palace it is stunning

3:00 the plaster moulding’s intricacy looks like an elaborately designed wedding cake.

Koa as in ironwood tree? Ironwood is quite hardy and seems to be the preferred material for fashioning staves, walking sticks and war clubs throughout the Pacific islands. 'Iolani Palace looks stunning and unique with its koa panels.

The last remaining member of the royal family died last year . She was in her 90's.

The palace is beautiful, the history that surrounds the fall of the House of Kalākaua, the kidnapping of the Hawaiian peoples and annexation of their Homeland is abhorrent.

Its beautiful

Hawaiian royals had an extremely good relationship with the UK 🇬🇧

Thank you for this. There is the summer palace.. Which is a modest but beautiful house in Nu'uanu.

We tend to forget that the USA has a colonial past.Thanks for your excellent snippet of Hawaiian History which explains how extravagance can have disastrous consequences. Great that we still have the palace though!

My thought is that the Hawaiians definitely got shafted. That was downright invasion and takeover rule by America and it's shameful that it happened. The palace is gorgeous. I'm glad they at least preserved some furnishings and recognize it as the historical place that it is

I pisses me off that this government in the name of democracy did that to the queen. But the house they left here in the USA is awesome ❤

To subjugate any Being by force is The opposite of love And compassion

4:11 this narration is a bit confusing. After King Kaloukaua's death, his wife Queen Kapi'olani retired to her estate in Wikiki. It was Kaloukaua's sister, Lili'uokalani, who became the Hawaiian kingdom's last queen regnant and lived in Iolani Palace until the overthrow and then was imprisoned there. Ali'iolani Hale was originally meant to be the royal palace, but King Kamehameha V decided to use it for the seat of government instead and commissioned the Iolani Palace to take its place.

Hawaii should be given independence

3:28 Look at that table in the forefront of the image!! It looks like it has lace around the top made from wood or iron.

What a truly beautiful building. I am glad that it has survived. The American takeover was despicable and unnessasory. It was very unlikely that imperial Russia would have moved on Hawaii but had thy done so, they would have set up a base and probably aloud the Hawaiian monarchy to continue.

Beautiful house! Hawaii was definitely stolen.

👍

I didn't tour it when I was there but did tour the whole island

I love the king's room. Probably because it is blue, my favorite color.

Clarification is needed here. There is a Spanish Castle in San Antonio......called this during Spanish occupation at the time...???? Could there be more?

HI Ken. Did you know that the Hawaiian Islands were Annexed and therefore not legally recognized as part to theUS???

One of my biggest regrets for my Oahu trip was not scheduling a day at the palace.

This makes me very sorry for true Hawaiian people. e

I like the content on this channel a lot !! One very small criticism... narrator... please study voice inflection for narration. Listen to some professionals and hear the difference in how it sounds. Not trying to be negative. I really think it would make a difference if you could hear how you sound in comparison.

As NateDizzle312 says, “Geopolitics suck!” (2016.01.15) Tonga still has a King. Texas has some nation-state privileges. The State flag of California still identifies California as a nation. Beautiful Sweet Potato Island was briefly the Republic of Formosa politically separate from Qing China. The people of Texas are Texans; the people of Hawai’i are Hawaiians. Some people on Beautiful Sweet Potato Island are relatives of the King of Tonga. “Taiwan,” is native Siraya for, “Beautiful.”

The tourist areas of Hawaii are quite safe, but if you go inland, you will be surprised by the hostility the natives have towards Westerners. We did, after all, do what Russia is doing to Ukraine - taking over an independent kingdom.

The real king David lol lmbo lol 🔥🔥🔥

What about the governor's palace in saint Williamsburg Virginia?

Increíble ! No sabía de este episodio negro de la historia de hawaii obligados a ser parte de EEUU! Y luego Estados Unidos critica a otras naciones !

This story is typical of the assumption of the American Empire. The damage has been done & it seems that it would be too late to return Hawaii to its former independent status. It would have been far more gentle for the United States to have negotiated a role as a protector of the Kingdom, leaving the island under the monarchy & their own traditions, being responsible only for defense & well-being of the people of Hawaii.

If you're in, it's forevermore, Union, fought a war to settle that question. Dining room.

Isnt Steve McGarrets office in there?

Thank you for posting this. I’ve been to Hawaii 5 times. The last time I was there was in 1982. They always told us, that even though they were annexed by the US, it could have been worse, because Russia was very Interested in acquiring Hawaii for a military base. So, they just say, thank you, for getting us first. Don Ho sang a song, back in his day called, “ This Is America.” They know they are better off being a part of America. It’s also very fitting that you post this now as Iolani Palace will be open for King Kamehameha Day, June 10th.🌺

The Iolani palace had electric lights before the White House did.

Technically the Carol house in Baltimore and the governors house in Williamsburg are both royal residences too… just saying

You should cover the Wilkins House in Greenville, SC it's a historic brick Italianate mansion that was built in 1878 and was moved from its former location in 2014, and restored throughout 2015-2016. It's a beautiful home

I can see why he changed it, the original in the photo just looks like an ordinary house.

Yes. The USA stole Hawaii’s freedom to protect their own interests. The people of Hawaii held a funeral for their country. The Princess went as far as pleading for help in Washington DC to stop it. Watch the movie “Princess Kaiulani” for a gentle version of the real story.

1

So when did Hawaii stop being a kingdom?

USA never minding their own business, or just making others countries' busniness the business of the USA.

They are better off as part of the United States. Never visited Hawaii. Greetings from Alaska.

This is a beautiful house but the Hawaiian influence is what makes it magnificent. You wouldn't see that type of influence in an "American" historic building. Too bad we were invaders.

Hopefully one day Iolani palace will once again be the residents of the rightful rulers of Hawai’i.

SRK GO THERE

REPARATIONS FOR HAWAII AND PUERTO RICO

After seeing a glimpse of the royal palace, your estimate of 10 million dollars seems very less to me at the present time?

Have USA gov apologises to the Royal Family and compensate them?

I wish Hawaii could break free from america and regain its independence

WRONG! There's a second royal palace in Puerto Rico and it's called Fortress. It's the Govenor's mansion today.

Beautiful palace but I'm pretty sure it's tilted.

For now