Emma of Hawaii was an aristocrat who served as the queen consort of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1856 until her husband, King Kamehameha IV, passed away in 1863. Born in Honolulu in 1836 to high-ranking Hawaiian chiefs, she was raised in an English-style household through the traditional hānai adoption process. Beyond her royal duties, she was a dedicated humanitarian and a skilled equestrian. Following the deaths of her son and husband, she remained a significant figure in Hawaiian society, eventually seeking the throne herself.