Prince Ata (Viliami 'Unaki-'o-'Tonga Lalaka moe 'Eiki Tuku'aho; born 27 April 1988 in

Nukuʻalofa Nukualofa (; ) is the capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group. History First western records of Nukualofa On 10 June 1777, British captain James ...

) is a

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

n royal and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

, younger son of

Tupou VI Tupou VI (; born 12 July 1959) is the King of Tonga. He is the younger brother and successor of the late King George Tupou V. He was officially confirmed by his brother on 27 September 2006 as the heir presumptive to the Throne of Tonga, as his ...

King of Tonga This is a list of monarchs of Tonga since 1845, after the Constitution of Tonga established the role of the monarch. The first monarch of Tonga was George Tupou I. 2008 cession of powers Three days before his coronation on 1 August 2008, th ...

Biography

Ata is the son of

, and Queen

Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho, (née The Honourable Nanasipauʻu Vaea; born 8 March 1954) is Queen of Tonga as the wife of King Tupou VI since 2012. Early life Nanasipauʻu Vaea is the daughter of the late Baron Vaea, a former Prime Minister of Tong ...

. He has a brother Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala and a sister

Princess Lātūfuipeka Tukuʻaho Princess Lātūfuipeka (Angelika Lātūfuipeka Halaevalu Mataʻaho Napua-o-kalani Tukuʻaho; born 17 November 1983, in Nukuʻalofa) is a Tongan royal and a member of the House of Tupou. Sole daughter of Tupou VI, King of Tonga, Princess Lātūfu ...

. He belongs to the

line of succession to the Tongan throne The order of succession to the throne of Tonga is laid down in the 1875 constitution. The crown descends according to male-preference cognatic primogeniture. Only legitimate descendants through legitimate line of King George Tupou I's son and gran ...

and he is not married. He was appointed to the title of Ata in September 2006. He was educated at Canberra Grammar,

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, A.C.T.,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In 2014 King Tupou VI sent Prime Minister

Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō Siale ʻAtaongo Kaho, Lord Tuʻivakanō (born 15 January 1952) is a Tongan politician who served as the Prime Minister of Tonga from 2010 to 2014. Descent and naming Tuʻivakanō was born in Niutoua on Tongatapu as Siale ʻAtaongo Kaho. His p ...

and a group of soldiers to a church in

Haveluloto Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% o ...

to prevent him from being baptized as a member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 2015, he became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a ceremony in Hawaii without his father's knowledge.

Title, styles and honours

Title

*27 April 1988 – present: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Ata of Tonga

Honours

;National Honours * : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the

Royal Order of Pouono The Royal Order of Pouono is the highest knighthood order of the Kingdom of Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands ...

* : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the

Order of Queen Salote Tupou III Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44882000/jpg/_44882094_dignitaries_ap.jpg * : Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Tonga The Royal Order of the Crown of Tonga ('' Tongan: Fakalangilangi 'o Kalauni 'o Tonga'') is an Order of Merit awarded for exceptional services to Tonga and the Crown of Tonga. History It was established 16 April 1913 by George Tupou II to rewa ...

Dignitaires
/ref> * : Recipient of the King Tupou VI Coronation Medal * : Recipient of the King George Tupou V Coronation Medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ata 1988 births Living people Tongan royalty Princes Tongan Latter Day Saints Converts to Mormonism from Methodism Former Methodists People from Nukuʻalofa People educated at Canberra Grammar School Sons of kings