The short life of the young prince heir to the throne of King Kamehameha is remembered in an exhibit at Queen Emma Summer Palace, also known as Hanaiakamalama.

A christening gown made of Irish lace, a red long-sleeved fireman's jacket and an unfinished outfit are among the items on display that belonged to Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Leiopapa a Kamehameha.

The prince was the son of Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma and died at age 4.

Fifteen months after his death, his father died of what was called a "broken heart" over having lost his son, said Leilani Macguire, collections chairwoman for Daughters of Hawaii.

The group is a nonprofit organization of volunteers who care for and operate Queen Emma Palace in Nu'uanu and Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua, Kona, on the Big Island.

"Queen Emma was left at age 29 without both of them," Macguire said.

Volunteers said the clothing is challenging to display because of the fragile fabric used, and usually is kept stored away.

Other items on view include one of the prince's cribs, his toy wheelbarrow (on lease from the Bishop Museum) and a silver christening cup sent by the prince's godmother, Queen Victoria of England.

The exhibit is sponsored by The Honolulu Advertiser and opened May 24 to commemorate the 150th birthday of the prince, who died of what doctors today believe was appendicitis.

The prince's birth relieved the kingdom because previous heirs had not survived, volunteers said.

David Scott, executive director of the Daughters, said the prince's story is heart-wrenching and that he was described as a "healthy and wonderfully upbeat child that everybody loved."

The exhibit has attracted local visitors as well as tourists from the Mainland and Japan.

"I was really quite saddened by it (the exhibit) — to see that and to realize that he had died so young," said first-time palace visitor Norma Wendt Trimming, who was born on Maui and now lives in Utah. "The impression I got was the great love that his mom and dad had for him."