Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau – Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs and President of Fiji
In 1874, Ratu Seru Cakobau gave Queen Victoria his war club which she doubtless carried with her everywhere in her role as Paramount Chief of Fiji. It is a title that has been inherited by British monarchs ever since, and Elizabeth II is no exception. However, Fiji is a military junta, and Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau saves us on this occasion from the horror of Elizabeth II in her underwear.
Among his many titles, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is also Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs and President of Fiji, suggesting that the smaller the nation, the more grandiose the titles bestowed upon their leaders. Nailatikau is the second Polynesian head of state we’ve featured, and he joins Willy Telavi in our colourful assortment of World Leaders in Their Underpants here.
