Accession and coronation Following his father's death on 10 September 2006, he was sworn in as King George Tupou V, which also made him, from a traditional viewpoint, the 23rd
Tuʻi Kanokupolu (the overlords of
Tongatapu). He was recognised as a descendant of the sky god
Tangaroa. The ceremonial aspects of Tupou V's accession took place in July and August 2008. These were initially to be held in 2007 after the six-month
official mourning period for his father (as required of close relatives) and his own birthday. They were also deferred after the
2006 Nukuʻalofa riots as he decided to focus instead on reconstruction of the damaged capital. During the week of celebrations, two key ceremonies took place to mark his coronation. On 30 July 2008, a (royal kava ring) ceremony was held on Malaʻe Pangai, the open space to the east of the Royal Palace. During the ceremony, the king sat on a pile of handwoven
pandanus mats in an open pavilion facing the sea, while more than 200 Tongan nobles and chiefs dressed in woven skirts and sea shells circled him. He wore the traditional Tongan
taʻovala (woven mat skirt) and a garland of flowers. The ceremony included his formal recognition as the Tuʻi Kanokupolu, and the rightful descendant of King
George Tupou I, who united Tonga in the 19th century. The ceremony involved having
kava, hundreds of baskets of food, and seventy cooked pigs presented to the King and the assembly of chiefs and nobles. Later that night, schoolchildren held 30,000 torches to proclaim the coronation in what is known as a . A second, European-style
coronation ceremony took place on 1 August 2008 in the Centennial Chapel, Nukuʻalofa.
Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce invested George Tupou V with the Tongan regalia: the ring, sceptre and sword. During the culmination of the ceremony, Archbishop Bryce placed the Tongan Crown on the monarch's head.
Reforms As king, his first proclamation was that he would dispose of all his business assets as soon as reasonably possible, and in accordance with the law. Tonfön was sold in 2007, but efforts to divest from Shoreline Power were delayed after New Zealand investors withdrew following the
2006 Nukuʻalofa riots. During his reign, George Tupou V oversaw reforms within the Tongan honours system which both expanded the number of Orders in the Kingdom and created rules to make the award of these Orders more egalitarian. In 2008, he bestowed noble titles to family members. Most significantly, he restored the title of
prince to his nephew,
Sitiveni Tukuʻaho (thereafter styled Prince Tungi), who is the eldest son of Prince
Fatafehi ʻAlaivahamamaʻo Tukuʻaho. Three days before his coronation ceremony on 1 August 2008, the King announced that he would relinquish most of his power and be guided by his
Prime Minister's recommendations on most matters. The Prime Minister would also be in charge of day-to-day affairs. In addition, the King announced that there would be parliamentary reform and elections in 2010. Fielakepa, the spokesman for the royal palace, said, "The Sovereign of the only
Polynesian kingdom ... is voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of many of his people ... [The people] favour a more representative, elected
Parliament. The king agrees with them." The king remained head of state, but lost the ability to appoint the prime minister and cabinet members. Tupou V also retained the power to
commute prison sentences. In September 2010, Tupou V sold the Tongan royal residence of ʻAtalanga, located in
Epsom, New Zealand, which had a capital value of NZ$8.9 million. On 24 February 2012, less than a month before his death, he met with
Pope Benedict XVI in
Vatican City. == Health ==