A clear legacy at last?

Her royal status was disputed, as was her fitness, but Indigenous causes will now receive millions from the estate of America's last princess

- JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

Abigail Kawananakoa, right, and her wife, Veronica Gail Worth, appear in state court in Honolulu in 2018. There will be at least $100 million left to fund Native Hawaiian causes from the estate of the so-called last Hawaiian princess who died last year at age 96.

In life, Abigail Kawananakoa embodied the complexities of Hawaii: Many considered her a princess — a descendant of the royal family that once ruled the islands.

But she was also the great-granddaughter of a sugar baron and inherited vast wealth thanks to westerners who upended traditional ways of life through the introduction of private property and the diversion of water for industrial plantations.

Now, more than a year after her death at age 96 and the bitter battles over her fortune in the twilight of her life, her estate has been settled. And recently finalized court documents show that after doling out tens of millions to various people — including former housekeepers, other longtime employees and her wife — there will be at least $100 million left to support Native Hawaiian causes.

Kawananakoa cared deeply about advancing Hawaiian culture, and resolving her estate is meaningful to Hawaiians because it is the last of what’s known as “alii,” or royal, trusts, which were set up by royalty to benefit Native Hawaiians, said Dr. Naleen Naupaka Andrade, executive vice-president of Native Hawaiian health for The Queen’s Health System. The health system was created from a trust established by Queen Emma in 1859.