A lock of hair from a young Ethiopian prince, who died over 140 years ago, has been handed over in the UK to representatives from his home country.
In 1868, British soldiers took Prince Alemayehu away after invading the fortress of his father, Emperor Tewodros II, who then killed himself.
The crown prince died aged 18 in 1879 after an unhappy upbringing in Britain.
He was buried at Windsor Castle near London, but recent requests to have his body returned have been turned down.
One of the prince’s relatives, Fasil Minas, expressed hope that the handing over of the prince’s hair could pave the way for his body to go back to Ethiopia.
At a ceremony in London on Thursday evening, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the UK Teferi Melesse took possession of the lock of hair, as well as a number of other artefacts that had been looted from Emperor Tewodros’s Maqdala fortress.
He welcomed their return, saying that they will go back to their rightful place, where they can continue to inspire and educate generations to come.
He said that Ethiopia would continue to press the UK to return more items seized from the fortress.
The prince was taken to London aged just seven, where his status as an orphan elicited the sympathy of Queen Victoria.
She agreed to support him financially and put him under the guardianship of Captain Tristram Charles Sawyer Speedy, the man who had accompanied the prince from Ethiopia.
