Ka'iulani was the daughter of Princess Miriam Kapili Likelike and Scotsman Archibald Scott Cleghorn. She was educated in Hawaii and London and was known to be equally comfortable on a surfboard or serving high tea. As a child, she became close friends with Robert Lewis Steveson who wrote at least one poem about her.
After the annexation of Hawaii, she traveled extensively in the United States to petition for her countries independence. She returned to Hawaii, ill and unsuccessful, and died at the age of 23.
Her life has been commemorated in numerous paintings, songs, statues, as well as literary works ranging from Russian poetry to Science fiction.