REDWOOD CITY -- A 19-year-old Redwood City woman convicted of a misdemeanor in causing the deaths of three people, including two members of the Tongan royal family, was sentenced Friday to two years in jail.

A jury had found Edith Delgado guilty of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for a July 2006 nighttime crash that occurred when her white Mustang changed lanes and sideswiped a Ford Explorer carrying Tonga's Prince Tu'ipelehake, 54; Princess Kaimana Tu'ipelehake, 45; and their driver, Vinisia Hefa, 36.

All three were people in the Explorer died in the crash. Prosecutors said Delgado was racing another driver when she hit the Explorer while driving at speeds between 85 mph and 100 mph. in Menlo Park, about 30 miles south of San Francisco.

A San Mateo County jury found Delgado not guilty of felony charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in June and instead found her guilty of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.

If convicted of the felonies, she would have faced up to eight years in prison. She only faced a maximum of three years in county jail for the misdemeanor conviction.

Speaking from New Zealand on behalf of Tongan royal family Members at the time of the verdict, lawyer Mele Tu'ilotolava said that while the family has expressed forgiveness, "they are hugely disappointed -- but inwardly."

"I'm quite surprised that she wasn't even charged with second degree murder," Tu'ilotolava said. "Her driving speed was horrendously high and she was racing against somebody else. That sort of conduct in my book fits quite close to manslaughter ... with gross negligence."

Delgado was jailed since her arrest shortly after the crash because she was unable to post her $1 million bail. That time served will be part of her sentence.

During the trial, prosecutors said Delgado, who received her driver's license just five months before the crash, had shown a pattern of dangerous speeding and previously had received a warning from her principal at Redwood High School to slow down.

The defense argued that the accident was not caused by negligence and described his client as an honor student who was on her way to visit a friend in the hospital when she slammed into the SUV, causing it to swerve across several lanes before rolling onto its roof.

Delgado was not injured in the crash. The other vehicle that she allegedly was racing with was not found.

"Edith is extremely remorseful and sorry for what occurred," Moore said.

Tu'ilotolava said the royal family are very forgiving people and "it's the nature of the Tongan people as well."

The sons of Prince Tu'ipelehake have sued Ford Motor Co., claiming the 1998 Explorer's unsafe design was primarily responsible for the deaths. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in Santa Clara County Superior Court, claims the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker knew the SUV had a tendency to "roll over or flip in turning maneuvers."

Ford says tests have shown the Explorer's handling and stability are as good or better than other SUVs.

The royal couple had come to the San Francisco Bay area to discuss political reforms in the tiny South Pacific nation with members of the region's Tongan community. About 37,000 U.S. residents identified themselves as at least part Tongan in the 2000 Census; 15,000 of them live in California.

Prince Tu'ipelehake was a reformist in his views and was seen as leading the change in Tonga from a near-feudal monarchy to a more democratic political system, Tu'ilotolava said.