Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV who lay gravely ill in Mercy Hospital, Auckland, on Tuesday night, is now in a stable condition, Palace Office staff said this evening.

Suka 'Otukolo, said that the latest report the Palace Office received from Auckland this afternoon, indicated that the king's condition had stabilised to where he was two days ago, "before it declined, and causing the Prime Minister to make a public announcement on Tuesday night, (August 15) calling on Tongans to pray for the king."

Following the initial shock over the public announcement of the deteriorating state of the king's health, the Tongan public has taken the Prime Minister's announcement as a signal to be prepared for the imminent demise of their monarch.

The king's stabilisation during the past 48 hours has given Tongans the opportunity to prepare for a state funeral. The Palace and its fence has a shiny new coat of paint, and workers are cleaning up the Palace grounds, while Queen Salote College students spent this afternoon sweeping the compound of the Royal Tombs, Mala'e kula.

The King has been a patient at Mercy Hospital, Auckland, since he returned to New Zealand after visiting Tonga briefly for his 88th birthday on July 4.

He has ruled Tonga for 41 years since 1965 when his mother, the late Queen Salote Tupou III, died at the age of 65 years.