Tupou VI (ʻAho‘eitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho; born 12 July 1959) is the current King of Tonga.

The future Tupou VI was born at Tonga's Royal Palace as the youngest child of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, later King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV and Queen Halaevalu. He was named ʻAho‘eitu at birth. ʻAho‘eitu served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2000 to 2006. Following his elder brother's accession to the Tongan throne as George Tupou V, he was officially confirmed as the heir presumptive on 27 September 2006, because his brother had no legitimate children. In 2008, he was appointed Tonga's High Commissioner to Australia, and resided in Canberra until the death of George Tupou V on 18 March 2012, when he became King of Tonga, with the regnal name Tupou VI. He also served as the Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific from 2013 to 2014. He was crowned in 2015 by the Reverend D'Arcy Wood.

ʻAhoʻeitu was born in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga, as the third son and youngest child of Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa Tungī (later King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV). He attended The Leys School in Cambridge from 1973 to 1977, followed by enrolment at the University of East Anglia, where he studied Development Studies between 1977 and 1980.

ʻAhoʻeitu joined the naval arm of the Tonga Defence Services in 1982, achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Commander by 1987. He graduated from the US Naval War College as part of Class 33 in 1988.

His military service included commanding the Pacific-class patrol boat VOEA Pangai from 1990 to 1995, during which he participated in peacekeeping operations in Bougainville. Then, he obtained a master's degree in defence studies from the University of New South Wales in 1997 and another master's degree in international relations from Bond University in 1999.

In 1998, ʻAhoʻeitu transitioned from his military career to government service, assuming dual roles as defence minister and foreign minister until August 2004. These roles were previously held by his elder brother Tupoutoʻa, who was then the crown prince and later became King Siaosi Tupou V.

ʻAhoʻeitu, then known as Prince ʻUlukālala Lavaka Ata, assumed the role of prime minister on 3 January 2000.

In 2004, several Members of Parliament (MPs) advocated for his resignation as prime minister following their decision to boycott the inauguration of the Tonga Legislative Assembly. Among the MPs was Feleti Sevele, who cited the closure of Royal Tongan Airlines as one of several adverse events associated with the prime minister's tenure. Sevele questioned the prime minister's ability to govern Tonga, asserting that an inability to manage an airline raised doubts about his capacity to govern the country effectively.

ʻAhoʻeitu resigned as prime minister on 11 February 2006. His departure coincided with a period of heightened civil unrest, as pro-democracy protests advocating for a reduced governmental role of the royal family gained traction from mid-2005 onward. The Nukuʻalofa riots later that year underscored a growing dissatisfaction with the existing political structure, calls for increased political representation and a more equal distribution of power.

ʻAhoʻeitu took on the position of the chief of mission for Tonga's High Commission in Canberra when it was inaugurated in 2008, a position he held until his succession to the Tongan throne in 2012. This move represented a notable development in Tonga's diplomatic relations with Australia, highlighting the establishment of a formal diplomatic presence.

Concurrently, he served as a non-resident Ambassador to Japan from 15 January 2010 until his accession in 2012.

King Tupou VI served as the 20th Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific (USP) from July 2013 to June 2014. He was installed as Chancellor during the USP Tonga Graduation ceremony in July 2013.

Tongan royal family
The King The Queen The Crown Prince The Crown Princess Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho Princess Nanasipauʻu Eliana Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Princess Lātūfuipeka Prince Viliami, The 8th Prince Ata The Princess Royal, The Lady Tuita Siosaʻia, The 9th Lord Tuita Sālote Lupepau'u Tuita 'Epeli Taione Phaedra Anaseini Titilupe Fanetupouvava'u Tuita Siaosi Kiu Tau-ki-Vailahi Kaho Simon Tu'ivakano Michaela Tu'ivakano Fatafehi Tu'ivakano Frederica Lupe'Uluiva Tuita Johnny Filipe Latu'alaifotu'aika Fahina Lupeolo Halaevalu Tuita The Hon. Dowager Lady Ma’atu The Prince Tungi Fatafehi Sione Ikamafana ‘Etani Ha’amea Tupoulahi Salote Maumautaimi Tuku'aho
Extended family
Princess Fifita Holeva Tuʻihaʻangana Princess Sinaitakala Fakafanua Fatafehi, The 8th Lord Fakafanua Fakaola Fakafānua
v t e

ʻAhoʻeitu is married to Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, daughter of Baron Vaea. They have three children and four grandchildren. Their eldest child, Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho (Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mataʻaho Napua-o-kalani Tukuʻaho), born on 17 November 1983, has been the High Commissioner to Australia since 22 August 2012.

Their second child, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala (Siaosi Manumataongo ʻAlaivahamamaʻo ʻAhoʻeitu Konstantin Tukuʻaho), born on 17 September 1985, married his second cousin, Sinaitakala Fakafanua, on 12 July 2012. They have four children: Prince Taufaʻahau Manumataongo (born 10 May 2013), Princess Halaevalu Mataʻaho (born 12 July 2015), Princess Nanasipauʻu (born 20 March 2018), and Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu (born 25 February 2021).

Their third child is Prince Ata (Viliami ʻUnuaki-ʻo-Tonga Mumui Lalaka-Mo-e-ʻEiki Tukuʻaho), born on 27 April 1988.

Upon his confirmation as heir presumptive, he acquired the noble title of Tupoutoʻa, traditionally reserved for crown princes, a position his older brother relinquished due to marrying a commoner, and was subsequently known as Tupoutoʻa Lavaka before ascending the throne. His other noble titles of ʻUlukālala of Fangatongo and ʻAta of Hihifo subsequently passed to each of his two sons.

King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u were crowned in a ceremony conducted at Centenary Church in Nukuʻalofa on 4 July 2015 by the Reverend D'Arcy Wood, a retired Uniting Church in Australia minister who was born in Tonga. He was assisted by the Reverend 'Ahio and the Reverend Tevita Havea, the president and the secretary general of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. About 15,000 guests attended the celebration.

During the ceremony, Tupou VI was anointed with holy oil, adorned with a ring, and presented with a sceptre. The crown was then placed on his head by Wood, who performed the anointing and crowning as a matter of circumventing the taboo on native Tongans touching the King's head. The celebrations ran for a total of eleven days, beginning a week before the ceremony.

On 25 August 2017, Tupou VI dismissed Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, dissolved the Legislative Assembly, and ordered early elections to be held by mid-November. Following the king's dissolution of the government, the speaker, Lord Tuʻivakanō, issued a statement explaining his advice to the King that led him to dismiss the Prime Minister. Lord Tuʻivakanō stated that Pōhiva had made unconstitutional moves, including signing international agreements without the King's consent.

On 15 January 2022, the King was temporarily relocated from the Royal Palace following the eruption of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai and the ensuing tsunami.

On 2 February 2024, Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni was absent from Tonga, receiving medical treatment in New Zealand. During this time, King Tupou VI purportedly revoked the appointment of Siaosi Sovaleni as the armed forces minister and Fekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanu as the minister of foreign affairs and tourism, with the nine noble MPs urging them to resign from their ministerial positions. The Attorney General of Tonga, Linda Folaumoetu'i, advised the Cabinet that the King's action was unconstitutional.

In response to the revocation of their appointments, Siaosi Sovaleni and Fekitamoeloa ʻUtoikamanu publicly announced their resignation from their respective ministerial positions in April 2024.

v t e Tupou family tree
Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua line Tuʻi Tonga line Tuʻi Kanokupolu line Kalolaine Fusimatalili George Tupou I Fīnau Kaunanga Fifita Vavʻau Tēvita ʻUnga Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu Filiaipulotu Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku Fatafehi Toutaitokotaha Lavinia Veiongo George Tupou II ʻAnaseini Takipō Viliami Tungī Mailefihi Sālote Tupou III Vīlai Tupou (illegitimate son) Tupou Seini Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV Halaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe Siaosi 'Alipate Tupou, Baron Vaea Tuputupu Ma'afu-'o-Tukuialahi George Tupou V Tupou VI Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala Sinaitakala Fakafanua Taufaʻahau Manumataongo
Reference: Fox, James J.; Sather, Clifford (1996). Origins, Ancestry and Alliance: Explorations in Austronesian Ethnography. Canberra: Department of Anthropology, Australian National University. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-7315-2432-7. OCLC 245762652. Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois; D.C. (2008). The Pacific Arts of Polynesia and Micronesia. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-19-284238-1. OCLC 236158882. Völkel, Svenja (2010). Social Structure, Space and Possession in Tongan Culture and Language: An Ethnolinguistic Study. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-90-272-0283-3. Wood-Ellem, Elizabeth (1999). Queen Sālote of Tonga: The Story of an Era 1900-1965. Auckland, N.Z: Auckland University Press. p. front. ISBN 978-0-8248-2529-4. OCLC 262293605.

• Tonga
• Succession to the Tongan throne
• List of current heads of state and government

• Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata at IMDb
• Government Biography

Tupou VI House of Tupou Born: 12 July 1959
Political offices
Preceded by Baron Vaea Acting	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1998–2004	Succeeded by Sonatane Tuʻa Taumoepeau-Tupou
Preceded by Vaea	Prime Minister of Tonga 2000–2006	Succeeded by Feleti Sevele
Diplomatic posts
New office	High Commissioner to Australia 2008–2012	Succeeded by Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho
	Ambassador of Tonga to Japan 2010–2012	Succeeded by Tania Laumanulupe Tupou
Regnal titles
Preceded by George Tupou V	King of Tonga 2012–present	Incumbent Heir apparent: Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala