Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike III Kawānanakoa born (April 20, 1926), was the only child of Princess Liliuokalani Kawananakoa born during her marriage with William Jeremiah Ellerbrock. According to some she became the head of the House of Kawananakoa upon the death of her mother who had succeed her elder brother Edward D. Kawānanakoa on May 20, 1953 while some believe it was her elder sister Princess Abigail Kapiolani Kawananakoa. Basically the House of Kawananakoa had split into two by 1953. Some support Princess Lydia, the younger of the two princesses, because her eldest sister, Abigail's, legitimacy has even been question by both the girls' father, Prince David Kawananakoa. She was known as also known as Kekau to friends and made it a top priority because of her heritage to preserve Iolani Palace.
She was the President of the Friends of 'Iolani Palace (1971 - 1998). Her mother was once its former president and there was only a two year interval between their time as president. She has been active in various causes for the preservation of native Hawaiian culture, most especially the restoration of Iolani Palace. In June 1992, Kawananakoa pleaded with activists to hold further sovereignty demonstrations away from the palace after 32 demonstrators attempted to enter the building. She is an expert horsewoman and the owner of a ranch and racing quarter-horses.
Throne Incident
She created a bit of a stir, in 1998, when she allowed LIFE magazine to publish a photograph of herself sitting on the 150 year-old throne of Hawaii--essentially, claiming to be Queen. It should be noted that the thrones in the palace are replicas and the real one are in Bishop Museum. She is probably Hawaii's most popular Hawaiian royal in her generation with articles of her in the Honolulu Star Bulletin while her cousins rarely were ever mentioned. She never married and is beyond childbearing years. Her claim to the House of Kawānanakoa would probably pass to her first-cousin-once removed, Prince Quentin Kawānanakoa. Although her adopted son and heir, David Kalakaua Kawananakoa, formally, Prince David Claren Laamea Kaumualii Kawānanakoa, second-eldest brother of Quentin Kawananakoa, might succeed her instead even though he declined to succeed his brother.