Ermias Sahle Selassie

Ethiopian prince (born 1960)

Ermias Sahle Selassie

Ermias in 2020

Born|  (1960-06-14) 14 June 1960 (age 64)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Empire
Spouse|

Woizero Gelila Fesseha

(m. 1989; div. 2004)​

Woizero Saba Kebede

(m. 2011)​

Issue| Leul Sahle-Selassie Ermias
Leul Fesseha Zion Ermias
House| House of Solomon
Father| Sahle Selassie
Mother| Mahisente Habte Mariam
Religion| Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
Imperial family of Ethiopia

* The Crown Prince
* Princess Lideta Zera Yacob

* * *

* Descendants of Princess Ijigayehu:
* Prince Samson Fikre Selassie

* Prince Bekere Fikre Selassie
Princess Donna Fikre Selassie

* Prince Yisehaq Fikre Selassie

* Princess Rahel Fikre Selassie

* Princess Aster Fikre Selassie

* Princess Meheret Fikre Selassie

* Princess Maryam Senna

* Princess Sehin Azebe

* Princess Sifrash Bizu

Extended family

Descendants of Prince Makonnen:

* * *

* The Dowager Duchess of Harar

* The Duke of Harar
The Duchess of Harar
* Princess Adey-Abeba Makonnen
* Prince Yokshan Dawit Makonnen
* Prince Joel Dawit Makonnen
Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen
* Prince Philip Tafari Makonnen
Princess Aster Abatow
* Prince David Tafari Makonnen
* Prince Isaiah Tafari Makonnen
* Princess Ayla Tafari Makonnen
* Prince Baeda Maryam Makonnen
Princess Mahelate Baeda Mariam
* Princess Blaine Baeda Mariam

* * *

Descendants of Prince Sahle Selassie:

* * *

Princess Mahisente Habte Mariam

* Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie

* Prince Christian Sahle Selassie
* Prince Rufael Fiseha Tsieon Ermias

* * *

Extended family

Descendants of Emperor Yohannes IV:

* * *

* The Prince of Tigray

* Lij Mikael Sehul
* Lij Yohannes Mengesha Seyoum
* Lij Stefanos Mengesha Seyoum
* Lij Jalye Mengesha Seyoum
* Lij Seyun Mengesha Seyoum
* Immabet Menen Mengesha Seyoum

* v
* t
* e

Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie (born 14 June 1960)[citation needed] is the only son of Prince Sahle Selassie of Ethiopia and Princess Mahisente Habte Mariam. He is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and furthermore of Dejazmach Habte Mariam Gebre-Igziabiher, also known as Kumsa Moroda (Oromo: Kumsaa Morodaa) who was the third and last Moti, or ruler, of the Welega kingdom also referred as the Leqa Neqamte state. Currently, Prince Ermias is President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia.

## Education

[edit]

Prince Ermias was educated in Ethiopia, Great Britain, and the United States. In England, he received his education at Old Ride Preparatory School, and then at Haileybury College. He obtained a BA degree in social studies, with an emphasis in economics, from the University of California, in Santa Barbara. He continued his education at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy between 1983 and 1985.

Prince Ermias is fluent in Amharic, English and German.[1]

## Family

[edit]

Prince Ermias was first married on 9 June 1989 to Woizero Gelila Fesseha, daughter of Afe-Negus Fesseha Gabre-Selassie, a former Lord Chief Justice of Ethiopia, and by her is the father of twin sons:

* Prince Sahle-Selassie Ermias (known as Christian). Born on 20 February 1992.
* Prince Fesseha Zion Ermias (known as Rufael). Born on 20 February 1992.

Prince Ermias and his first wife later divorced in July 2004.[2] On 25 February 2011,[3] Prince Ermias married Woizero Saba Kebede.[4] The Prince and his wife live in the Washington metropolitan area.

## Royal function

[edit]

Prince Ermias currently serves as the President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia in exile.[5] The Crown Council has pursued a mission devoted to promoting a cultural and humanitarian role. Prince Ermias is also patron of the Haile Selassie Fund for Children in Need which continues to sponsor student scholarships, and the St. George of Lalibela Foundation.

On 16 September 2010, Prince Ermias delivered remarks at a briefing entitled "Traditional Leadership in the Modern World: Humanitarianism, Culture and the Diaspora" in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. This briefing was conducted by Representative Diane Watson, who was a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and whose congressional district in Los Angeles includes Little Ethiopia. Empanelled with visiting royalty from Cameroon and the Kingdom of Swaziland (Princess Phindiwe Sangweni), Prince Ermias described the cultural leadership exercised by deposed and exiled royalty among members of ethnic communities living in either ancestral lands or diaspora in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## Honours

[edit]

As President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia since 1993 Ermias is Grand Master of the following Orders belonging to the House of Solomon:[6]

* \- The Order of Solomon
* \- The Order of the Seal of Solomon
* \- The Order of the Queen of Sheba
* \- The Order of the Holy Trinity
* \- The Order of Menelik II
* \- The Order of the Star of Ethiopia

Ermias is also Grand Master of two further dynastic orders which were established 18 years after the fall of the Ethiopian Empire. The Order of Haile Selassie I was founded in 1992 to commemorate the Emperor's 100th birthday.[7] The Order of the Ethiopian Lion was established in 1994 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa.[8]

* \- The Order of Haile Selassie I
* \- The Order of the Ethiopian Lion

### Foreign honours

[edit]

* \- Commander, Hungarian Order of Merit (August 2024)[9]

### Dynastic honours

[edit]

* \- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Francis I \- House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies[10]
* \- Knight Grand Collar of the Royal Order of the Drum - Rwandan Royal Family[11]

### Other awards

[edit]

* Golden Key of the City of Frankfort, Kentucky, (29 May 2013) by Mayor Graham[12][13]
* Stockholm Cultural Award (24 March 2018) by Princess Marianne Bernadotte[14]
* Royal Patron of the John Bradburne Memorial Society (22 February 2021)[15]
* Keys to the City of Montego Bay, St James (15 October 2022), by Montego Bay Mayor, Leeroy Williams[16]
* Pan-African Award from the Ethiopian Government for Emperor Haile Selassie’s Leading Role in Establishing African Unity, Addis Ababa (1 November 2022), from Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed[17]
* Freedom of the City of London (17 November 2023)[18][19]
* People of Distinction Humanitarian Award, Washington, DC (13 September 2016)[20]
* Honourary Patron, The Zahedi Center for the Study of Monarchy, Traditional Governance, and Sovereignty[21]
* Medal of Merit of South Carolina
* Named to Board of Directors of the National Slavery Museum, Washington, DC (2003)[22]
* Honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Institute (November 2017)[23]
* Patron of the Haile Selassie Foundation for Ethiopia’s Children, Inc.[24]
* Patron for Africa for the Flying Hospital Charity[24]
* Director of the La Roche College, Pittsburgh, PA[24]
* Honorary Member Advisory Committee of the Angel Foundation[24]
* Member of the Prester John Luso-Ethiopian Friendship Association[24]
* Board of Trustees of The Royal Society of St. George, California[25]
* Member of Conférie du Sabre d'Or, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, California (23 April 2023)[26]

## Ancestry

[edit]

Ancestors of Ermias Sahle Selassie

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 8\. Ras Mäkonnen Wäldä-Mika'él Guddisa

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| 4\. Emperor Haile Selassie I|

|  |  |
| 9\. Woizero Yeshimebet Ali Abba Jifar

| 2\. Leul Sahle Selassie|

|  |  |  |  |
| 10\. Dejazmach Asfaw Mikael, Jantirar of Ambassel

| 5\. Itege Menen Asfaw|

|  |  |
| 11\. Woizero Sehin Mikael

| 1\. Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie of Ethiopia[citation needed]|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

| 6\. Dejazmatch Habte Mariam Gabre-Igziabiher|

|  |  |

| 3\. Woizero Mahisente Habte Mariam|

|  |  |  |  |

| 7\. Woizero Shashitu|

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |

## See also

[edit]

Line of succession to the Ethiopian Throne

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Crown Council of Ethiopia". Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
2. ^ "Announcements". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
3. ^ "HIH Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie marries - Monarchy Forum". Retrieved 1 June 2016.
4. ^ (in Spanish) Príncipe Ermias Sahle Selassie
5. ^ http://www.ethiopiancrown.org
6. ^ "Imperial Orders and Decorations | the Crown Council of Ethiopia". August 2021.
7. ^ "The Order of Emperor Haile Selassie I | the Crown Council of Ethiopia".
8. ^ "The Order of the Ethiopian Lion | the Crown Council of Ethiopia".
9. ^ https://magyarkozlony.hu/dokumentumok/ed2c8bf2a4a5b32b05ee178b974f343212c7b3ad/letoltes [bare URL]
10. ^ "Royal Order of Francis I – Real Casa di Borbone delle Due Sicilie". realcasadiborbone.it. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
11. ^ "T.I.H. Prince and Princess Ermias Sahle Selassie Receive New Honors from His Majesty - H.M. Yuhi VI". royalhouseofrwanda.org. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
12. ^ "HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie to be appointed Depute Supreme Grand Prior of the Order". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
13. ^ "The Crown Council of Ethiopia". Retrieved 1 June 2016.
14. ^ "Statements | The Crown Council Of Ethiopia". Retrieved 2024-11-01.
15. ^ ДИНАМИКА АЛЬФА-АКТИВНОСТИ ОБРАЗЦА (Report). LJournal. 2017. doi:10.18411/a-2017-023.
16. ^ "Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie receives keys to the City of Montego Bay". Loop News. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
17. ^ "Seoul Queer Culture Festival Facebook page". doi:10.3998/mpub.11521701.cmp.92. Retrieved 2024-11-01. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
18. ^ https://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/documents/g23324/Public reports pack 22nd-Jun-2023 13.00 Court of Common Council.pdf?T=10 [bare URL]
19. ^ "London granted the "Freedom of the City" to H.I.H. Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie". 19 November 2023.
20. ^ "Prince Ermias Receives 2016 People of Distinction Humanitarian Award at Tadias Magazine". Retrieved 2024-11-01.
21. ^ Ugboajah, Paul (2010-04-27), "Monarchy", African American Studies Center, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.47959, ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1, retrieved 2024-11-01
22. ^ "International Strategic Studies Association: Home Page. © 2008, ISSA". www.strategicstudies.org. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
23. ^ Ayalew, Yohannes (2017-11-19). "Ethiopia's Prince Ermias Sahleselassie and his wife Princess Saba Kebede are on a visit to Canada". Retrieved 2024-11-01.
24. ^ a b c d e Garretson, Peter (2011-12-08), "Sahle Selassie", African American Studies Center, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.49866, ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1, retrieved 2024-11-01
25. ^ "Board of Trustees| Saint George California". stgeorge. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
26. ^ "Royal Society of St. George Welcomes Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie". Bionic Buzz. 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2024-11-01.

## External links

[edit]

* Biography at Crown Council of Ethiopia website
* Royal Ethiopian Trust website

*[m.]: married
*[div.]: divorced
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