Nalesoni Laifone
| Nalesoni Laifone | |
|---|---|
| Crown Prince of Tonga | |
| Crown Prince of Tonga | |
| Tenure | 11 March 1885 – 6 June 1889 |
| Predecessor | ʻUelingatoni Ngū |
| Successor | Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku |
| Monarch | George Tupou I |
| Born | c. 1859 |
| Died | 6 June 1889 (aged 29–30) Neiafu, Vavaʻu |
| Burial | 17 June 1889 God's Acre at Vavaʻu |
| House | House of Tupou |
| Father | Tēvita ʻUnga |
| Mother | Fifita Vavaʻu |
Nalesoni Laifone (c. 1859 – 6 June 1889) was the third Crown Prince of Tonga from 1885 to 1889. He died before succeeding to the throne.
Born in 1859, he was the youngest child and second son of Tēvita ʻUnga and Fifita Vavaʻu, the second daughter of Liufau, Tuʻi Haʻangana Ngata, and his second wife, Hulita Tuʻifua. Although his paternal grandfather Tāufaʻāhau had become King George Tupou I of a united Tonga in 1845, Laifone's father was considered illegitimate by Christian standard because he was born to a secondary consort. After the death of his uncle Vuna Takitakimālohi, his father ʻUnga was legitimized and named Crown Prince under the terms of the first written constitution of Tonga on 4 November 1875. The line of succession outlined in the constitution placed Laifone behind his father and elder brother ʻUelingatoni Ngū and before his sister Fusipala Taukiʻonetuku and her descendants. The early deaths of his father in 1879 and his brother in 1885 left him as the heir apparent to the Tongan throne. He became the Crown Prince of Tonga on 11 March 1885. He also served as the Governor of Vavaʻu from 1885 to 1889.
In 1881, Laifone visited Auckland, New Zealand, accompanied by Joine Tavo. During the visit, he was described as "about 6 feet 3 inches in height, well proportioned and regular featured". In 1886, a travelling correspondent from The New Zealand Herald interviewed the Prince:
The Crown Prince Laifoni [sic], grandson of the venerable King George, the heir apparent to his throne, a fine, full-faced, stout man, probably under 30 years of age, drove the preacher of the previous evening all through and around this capital city of Nukualofa. It amused the old gentleman, as he sat beside His Royal Highness, who was shoeless, and clad only with shirt and trowsers, jacket, and slouched straw hat, to listen to his broken English, as he replied to questions or spoke of his visits to Wellington and Auckland, the deepest impression and most cherished memory of which found expression in the oft-repeated exclamation, "Plenty of fun there!" His character seemed to lack depth and solidity. When he ascends the throne it will tax to the full the capacity, wisdom, and prudence (diplomatic tact) of the then Prime Minister to rein him in and prevent his kicking over the traces.
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