In 1938 Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Lion of Judah and Emperor of Abyssinia.

Visited Brighton while in exile after the Italian occupation of his country. Haile Selassie was directly descended from the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.

This photograph shows
Haile Selassie enjoying the
sea air on the Palace Pier.

Emperor Haile Selassie and family,
with the mayor of Brighton
Alderman Herbert Hone.

and outside the Royal Pavilion

Haile Selassie visiting
Horn's Dairies in Hove

During his exile in Britain  Tafari lived mainly in Bath, but travelled to London, Rome and Paris. He was the first Ethiopian ruler ever to have travelled outside Africa.

These photographs appeared in the Brighton and Hove Herald, and are now in the Brighton Reference Library.

More information on Haile Selassie can be found in:
Harold G. Marcus, Haile Sellassie I: The Formative Years 1892-1936, Red Sea Press, 1995 (available in paperback)

Click here to read a brief outline of Ethiopian history and here for other web resources about Haile Selassie.