Crown Prince of Tonga | |
---|---|
since 18 March 2012 | |
Style | His Royal Highness |
Residence | Royal Palace, Nukuʻalofa |
Appointer | Monarch |
Inaugural holder | Vuna Takitakimālohi |
Formation | December 4, 1845 |
Deputy | Taufaʻahau Manumataongo |
The Crown Prince of Tonga is the heir to the throne of Tonga.
The Article 32 of the Constitution of Tonga provides for male-preference primogeniture, meaning that the eldest son of the King automatically succeeds to the crown upon the monarch's death, and that the eldest daughter may succeed to the crown only if she has no living brothers and no deceased brothers who left surviving legitimate descendants.[1] By convention, the heir to the throne also bears the noble title of Tupoutoʻa; this has been the case since then-crown prince Tāufaʻāhau was conferred with the title in the late 1930s.[2]
The current Crown Prince of Tonga is Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala, who became heir apparent to the throne on 18 March 2012 upon the accession of his father, Tupou VI, as King.[3]