Ka'iulani is named after the Hawaiian Princess Victoria Ka'iulani. Born Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawekui i Lunalilo in 1875, she was the niece of King Kalakaua, then ruler of Hawaii. She left the islands at 13 for schooling in England. Next in line for the throne at the time of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, the princess traveled to Washington, D.C., to plead for Hawaiian sovereignty. She was not successful and returned home in 1897. Princess Ka'iulani never attained her birthright as Queen of the Hawaiian Islands. The islands were annexed as a territory of the United States soon after. Within months Princess Ka'iulani, at the age of 23, died of a broken heart.