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.

🌸 National Fragrance Day offer: 25% off everything at Immortal Perfumes through April 1, 2026. Use code ARCHIVE at checkout. 🛍️ Shop: immortalperfumes.com 🎙️ More about the podcast: scentarchivepod.com 📸 Instagram & TikTok: @immortalperfumes

📷 Photos of Ka'iulani's funeral, including her casket lying in state at 'Āinahau, are linked below.

Sources & Further Reading

Linnéa, Sharon. Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 1999.

Webb, Nancy, and Jean Francis Webb. Ka'iulani: Crown Princess of Hawai'i. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 1998.

de Silva, Kīhei. "Lei Kiele." Ka'iwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center, Kamehameha Schools. https://kaiwakiloumoku.ksbe.edu/article/mele-lei-kiele

Leonhardt, Kenneth W., and Glenn I. Teves. "Pikake: A Fragrant-Flowered Plant for Landscapes and Lei Production." College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, April 2002. https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/of-29.pdf

Fullard-Leo, Leslie. Oral history interview, June 12, 1986. University of Hawaiʻi oral history project.

"The Cleghorn: History at Its Base." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1964.

"Gardenias Didn't Bloom for 2 Years After Princess' Death." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, January 5, 1952.

"Princess Ka'iulani Special Edition." Pacific Commercial Advertiser, March 13, 1899.

"Fairy." Images of Old Hawaiʻi. https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/fairy/

"How a 19th-Century Scot Married Into Hawaii's Last Royal Family." The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/how-a-19th-century-scot-married-into-hawaiis-last-royal-family-4810013

The Scent Archive is a monthly podcast and companion piece to Immortal Perfumes, a Seattle-based literary micro-perfumery specializing in historically inspired handmade fragrances. Each episode, host and perfumer JT Siems follows her nose to uncover the hidden histories of the perfumed past.