Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee evokes legacy of Tongan monarch

By DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Tonga’s chief diplomat in the U.K. will be thinking about two monarchs this weekend as Britain and the Commonwealth celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. There is Elizabeth, of course, who will celebrate 70 years on the throne with four days of pageantry. But High Commissioner Titilupe Fanetupouvava’u Tu’ivakano will also remember her great-grandmother Queen Salote Tupou III, who endeared herself to Britons as she rode through the streets of London in an open carriage during Elizabeth’s coronation parade in 1953. Despite pouring rain, Queen Salote refused to close the top as a sign of respect for the new monarch, drawing cheers from the revelers lining the streets.