After ascending the throne, George Tupou announced that he would relinquish most of the monarch's powers and be guided by the Prime Minister on most matters.

[5] A documentary dated June 2004 by Australian journalist Gillian Bradford identified some of the challenges facing Tongan society at the time but also showed that Tupoutoʻa was in favour of a gradual transition to more extensive democracy in Tonga.

[6] Following his father's death on 10 September 2006, he was sworn in as King George Tupou V,[b][8] which also made him, from a traditional viewpoint, the 23rd Tuʻi Kanokupolu (the overlords of Tongatapu).

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.

[11] The traditional torch spectacle was held at a spot overlooking the Pacific and is an ancient honour reserved solely for the Tongan sovereign and Royal Family.

[13] Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce invested George Tupou V with the Tongan regalia: the ring, sceptre and sword.

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.

"[15] In July 2010, the government published a new electoral roll and called on Tonga's 101,900 citizens to add their names to the document so that they could take part in the historic vote, which was due to be held on 25 November.

[26][27] George Tupou V died on 18 March at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong, though governing institutions in Tonga did not immediately confirm it.

Radio Australia reported that Tonga's largest religious organisation, the Free Wesleyan Church, said it would hold a prayer service at the queen mother's residence in Nukuʻalofa.

[31] New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that the late king "believed that the monarchy was an instrument of change and can truly be seen as the architect of evolving democracy in Tonga.

[33] Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that King Tupou's death was the loss of "a great friend" to Australia and pointed to the change he led Tonga through as the "first truly democratic elections, held in November 2010, set the country on a new course.

[34] Following the official announcement of the death and giving the proclamation of the new king, now Tupou VI, the royal cabinet set up a committee for the organization of the state funeral.