In 1823 King Kamehameha of the Sandwich Islands and his wife set out for London. The purpose of their journey was to meet with King George IV to request that his kingdom be placed under the protection of the British. They arrived in 1824 and stayed in the Osborn’s Hotel. While they were treated with great honour, having banquets thrown for them as well as attending shows, they were not granted an audience with the king. Some speculated that the king had no intention of meeting with them as he felt that, as savages, they were not worthy. Ultimately he was spared having to make this point clear. Both Kamehameha and his wife succumbed to measles, a foreign disease to them. They were temporarily laid in the crypt at St. Martin’s in the Field before being transported home.
    Fortunately the trip had not been entirely in vain. After the tragic deaths King George IV held an audience with those islanders who had travelled with them, promising the islands the full protection of the British crown. The islanders than sailed home with the bodies of their monarchs.