Visit of the Emperor of Ethopia

On 14 October 1954, the HMS Gambia arrived in Portsmouth wearing the Imperial Standard of the Emperor of Ethiopia and carrying both the Emperor Haile Selassie and his son, His Imperial Highness, Prince Makonnen.

He was officially greeted by the Duke of Gloucester who was representing the Queen, with the welcome address being made by the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth. Part of this address read: ‘Your Imperial Majesty is no stranger to our City and we remember with joy the sojourn which your Majesty spent in Portsmouth during the war and shared with our citizens the dangers and trials of those days.’

The Emperor replied: ‘… It is also a moving moment for me to set foot on British soil in the City of Portsmouth where with you I shared the vicissitudes of war.’