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Home > Storical Podcast > Pikake and the Princess
Podcast: Storical Podcast
Episode:

Pikake and the Princess
Category: History
Duration: 00:28:45
Publish Date: 2026-03-21 07:00:08
Description:

On March 6, 1899, a flock of peacocks on a Waikīkī estate began to wail so loudly that people across the island heard them and knew. Their keeper had just died. She was twenty-three years old, and she was supposed to be queen.

This episode follows the story of Princess Ka'iulani — the last Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii — from the fragrant gardens of her childhood home at 'Āinahau to the halls of the US Capitol, where she fought alone for her people's independence. Along the way, we explore the flowers at the heart of her story: pikake, the jasmine sambac she named after her beloved peacocks, and gardenia, her mother's flower — and what happened to both when the monarchy was gone.

In this episode:

The rise and fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the illegal overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani

The life of Princess Ka'iulani: royal heir, activist, and one of history's most overlooked figures

The pikake flower: its Hawaiian origins, olfactive profile, and why jasmine sambac is one of perfumery's most iconic notes

The cultural significance of the lei — and what pikake and gardenia meant in Hawaiian tradition

The complicated legacy of Hawaiian souvenir perfume, including Royal Hawaiian Perfumes (est. 1946)

If you love narrative history, royal biography, fragrance deep-dives, or podcasts like Noble Blood or Tasting History — this one's for you.
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