A Royal Diplomacy: Tonga’s King and Queen mark 200 years of friendship in Australia

King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u of Tonga are in Australia for their first official visit, commemorating 200 years of friendship between the two countries.

The historic visit started with a traditional welcome ceremony, which included a smoking ritual, a practice among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people or First Nations people that involves burning native plants to create smoke for spiritual and physical cleansing.

Their Majesties were given a tour of Ngunnawal, the traditional homeland of the Australian capital, Canberra, where the royal couple enjoyed sightseeing opportunities featuring Australia’s unique wildlife.

Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, also met with the Tongan royal couple. Wong highlighted a major milestone of the visit: the signing of the Kaume’a Ofi, a statement of intent committing Australia and Tonga to strengthen their partnership through a formal agreement.

Part of the visit also involves signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cyber Cooperation, aimed at strengthening joint efforts to protect national security, manage cyber threats, and harness emerging technologies.

The MOU comes in the wake of an attack on Tonga’s national health database in June, which locked out medical staff and forced a return to paper-based record keeping.

King Tupou VI takes part in a traditional smoking ceremony to mark the beginning of the state visit to Australia. Photo/Supplied

Tonga refused to pay the US$1 million (NZ$1.7m) ransom demanded by the hackers, leading to the dispatch of cybersecurity experts from Australia who successfully restored the system in July.

While in Australia, the royal couple will also honour Tongan Australians who helped during the 2022 Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano disaster with a Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga and Coronation Medals.

King Tupou VI meets with Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong during his state visit. Photo/Supplied

The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga is the highest honour conferred by the Kingdom, established in 1913 by King George Tupou II to reward individuals who have displayed exceptional service to the State and the Crown.

Recipients of the honour have included Queen Sālote Tupou III, the late Māori King Tūheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, and Emperor Naruhito of Japan.

Watch their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauʻu preside over the first-ever overseas Investiture Ceremony below.

Queen Nanasipau’u will meet with Australian academics researching cervical cancer.

The official royal visit ends on Wednesday.