Funeral held for Tongan royals

Prince Tu'ipelehake was a nephew of the king. Picture / Richard Robinson

A royal funeral is being held in Tonga for the King's nephew and his wife, who were killed in a car accident in the United States earlier this month.

Prince Tu'ipelehake and his wife, Princess Kaimana, are to be buried in the royal tombs at Lapaha, on Tongatapu.

Flags are being flown at half mast in Tonga, as a mark of respect.

Meanwhile, a preliminary hearing into deaths of the royal couple is set to resume later in the United States.

The hearing in a San Francisco court is to determine whether a teenage driver will stand trial on three counts of manslaughter.

Edith Delgado, 18, has pleaded not guilty to felony manslaughter charges in the highway crash.

She has been charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after her speeding Mustang sideswiped the vehicle of the Tongan couple, sending it rolling and killing them as well as their driver, Vinisia Hefa.

Witnesses and police said Delgado appeared to be racing her white Ford Mustang sports car with a Cadillac Escalade at speeds up to 160km/h when she clipped the Tongans' Ford Explorer.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA