Her father was the second surviving son of the reigning Queen Pōmare IV and had served as the king of the neighboring islands of Raiatea and Tahaa before being deposed by the natives because of his cruel rule.

[2] Because of her status as the future Queen of Tahiti, she was sent to the island of Moorea to be raised by the Protestant mission in the house of pastor Prosper Brun.

On June 29, 1880, her uncle King Pōmare V gave Tahiti and its dependencies to France, whereupon he and the entire royal family were given pensions by the French government.

The couple divorced on January 21, 1893, after Princess Teriivaetua discovered her husband was having an affair with his aunt Manihinihi "Pri" Salmon (1866–1918).

The marriage produced four children:[citation needed][5] Princess Teriivaetua never remarried and died at Papeete on December 4, 1918, during the height of the influenza epidemic which had spread from Europe.