Ethiopian Prince Alemayehu was brought to England as a small boy after his father, Emperor Tewodros II, committed suicide as British forces stormed his palace in northern Ethiopia in 1868.
Queen Elizabeth II has sparked a diplomatic row by refusing to repatriate the remains of a “stolen” Ethiopian prince who was buried in catacombs next to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, according to the Daily Mail.
The Ethiopian government has been demanding the return of his remains for 12 years now, and growing increasingly frustrated at Buckingham Palace's dismissal of its request.
Fesseha Shawel Gebre, Ethiopia's ambassador to London, made an emotional appeal to the Queen to reflect on how she would feel if a deceased relative of hers was buried on foreign soil, reported Daily Mail.
“Would she happily lie in bed every day, go to sleep, having one of her Royal Family members buried somewhere, taken as prisoner of war?” he asked. “I think she wouldn't.”
Alemayehu's tragic story has since inspired radio plays, poems, and books.
140 years after his death, the story of Alemayehu remains hugely important for Ethiopia.
In 1868, a British military incursion in Ethiopia was undertaken to rescue several dozen European prisoners seized by Emperor Tewodros II. After his army was destroyed and his fortress captured, the Emperor chose to shoot himself rather than surrender.
His orphaned son Alemayehu was placed…
Good on her. Leave him at peace in Windsor.
The Queen should follow the honourable example of the @NAM_London that recently returned Emperor