Multiple artifacts taken by British forces in 1868 reside in the Royal Collection, which can return items at the discretion of trustees
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The Ethiopian government will reportedly be demanding that King Charles return “immoral” artifacts that have been kept in Britain since the 1868 Battle of Magdala.
Per a report published by The Telegraph on Friday, Jan. 24, officials in Ethiopia’s capital of Addis Ababa will be pushing for the return of items from the Royal Collection as well as treasures kept elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such as the British Museum. The items kept by the King are sacred to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, per the outlet, which also notes that the government in the United Kingdom will be asked to support Ethiopia’s push for the items’ return next year.
The Ethiopian Heritage Authority will lead the move for the return of the items alongside the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, according to The Telegraph.
“It is immoral,” said the heritage authority’s director general Abebaw Ayalew Gella. “You don’t just put them somewhere. They are sacred.”
“A manuscript with illumination is always considered sacred,” Gella added, referring to the “illuminated” works. “You don’t even touch them.”
As The Telegraph notes, the Royal Collection contains 18th century manuscripts commissioned by Ethiopian royalty, including an illuminated Life of Mary manuscript and one titled The Miracles of the Virgin Mary — both of which were taken by British forces in 1868 when Tewodros II, Emperor of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia), died by suicide after the British defeated his troops at the battle of Magdala
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Artifacts from the emperor’s fortress were then auctioned off, some presented to the royal family, with the British having taken Tewodros’ wife Empress Tiruwork Wube and their young son, but she died during the journey, as previously reported. Tewodros II’s gold filigree slippers, as well as a revolver, were added to the Royal Collection, as well. They are among the items that Ethiopia is reportedly seeking to be returned.
As reported in September 2023 by The Art Newspaper, a sacred tablet seized by British troops during the battle in 1868 was returned during a London church service.
According to The Telegraph, the Royal Collection can return items at the discretion of trustees, although a law is preventing Britain’s national museums from letting go of its own artifacts. Per the outlet, while the British Museum Act 1963 forbids the return of any object in the collection, officials in Ethiopia will be making a formal repatriation request to the U.K. government.
Orthodox priest Memher Girma Batu told The Telegraph that it is “not fair to have them there,” referring to the Tabots, tablets that represent the Arc of the Covenant. “They symbolize the commandments of God. Based on this I want to say please return the Tabots to their original place — that is Ethiopia.”
In a statement shared by the outlet, the Royal Collection Trust said that the collection is “held in trust by the Sovereign for his successors and the nation, and is not owned by The King as a private individual.”
“As such, The King would take advice from Royal Collection Trust, who would consult a range of internal and external stakeholders.”
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As reported in 2023, Buckingham Palace has previously rejected a request to repatriate the body of Prince Dejatch Alemayehu of Abyssinia, who was buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after being taken to the U.K. in 1868 following his father Tewodros II’s death. The young son died of pleurisy at age 18 in 1879.
Despite his descendants reportedly asking for the move, the palace said in a statement that it was “very unlikely that it would be possible to exhume the remains without disturbing the resting place of a substantial number of others in the vicinity.”
“Conscious of the responsibility to preserve the dignity of the departed it is therefore, with regret, not possible to agree to the request, but in recent years we have accommodated requests from Ethiopian delegations to visit St Georges and will continue to do so,” the statement read.
‘Hospice’: Panic over single terrifying Charles word on royal website
They say in the event of any emergency you should yell “fire” – the single word that will instinctively propel people into action, if not sheer panic and a mad dash for the exits. Sometimes one word can be all it takes.
Take what was going on with the royal family’s website ever so briefly on Thursday, with the first heading on the site simply reading, in lower case, “hospice”.
Well, bugger me.
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Clearly this was some sort of error, with things changed back to normal before anyone had really noticed (aside from the eagle-eyed Gertrude Daly of Gerts Royals who spotted the mistake).
One possible explanation for the shocking word’s appearance being simply that the site was being updated to include Queen Camilla’s Tuesday visit to a hospice in Swindon. Sometimes, most of the times, a cigar is just a cigar. A very explicable, entirely understandable, simple human error of a cigar.
Now 12 months on, we remain in the dark and practically, nothing has changed: His Majesty has weekly treatment, where and what and for how much longer, nobody knows.
But what his diagnosis has done is to bring into painfully sharp focus just how close Prince William and Kate, The Prince and Princess of Wales are to the throne.
This time in 2022, the duo were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, removed by two steps from those big gold chairs and having to sit through the parading pageantry and play-acting of the opening of parliament.
William and Kate were the royal family’s big ticket items, their only real remaining marquee young names, what with Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex having slipped the royal harness to canter off into the sunset. But still, there was distance.
It appears to have been an unfortunate error. Picture: X
Them as King and Queen seemed such a far-off, future prospect. That whole coronation malarkey? Oh, ages away. Courchevel skiing mini break? Don’t mind if I do.
However, in a horrible bit of symmetry, Monday marks one year since King Charles entered hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate, a procedure that 25,000 British men undergo annually, during which his doctors discovered he has cancer. (Buckingham Palace has never revealed what sort of cancer he has).
But then Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 and the new King Charles III immediately elevated the couple to the Wales titles. (It was not automatic – he was nine years old before Her late Majesty conferred the title to him, information he reportedly found out about on the news while at boarding school. How’s that for a stellar bit of parenting?)
Most of us assumed Charles would reign well into his 90s, like his parents. Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
And even though, with Her late Majesty’s death, William and Kate were only technically one ladder rung closer to the top, still, their crown years seemed so very distant, an inevitability like the advent of flying cars and Elon Musk’s Oval Office run. It will happen, but not for yonks. After all, those Windsor genes are fashioned from pure Sheffield steel, hardier than nearly all known earth elements and Katie Price’s rhino-like hide. It would be decades before anything changed, right?
On February 5 last year, with the Palace’s announcement, we learned how wrong we all were.
With the King’s diagnosis, the question of how long he might get to do the ruling thing suddenly rushed into view, an acute, painful and sudden mass awareness of his mortality.
Oh, the King is human after all. Oh. Oh.
There is knowing something will happen and fully metabolising and knowing.
With the next beat came the implications of that discovery – that for William and Kate, becoming King and Queen was no longer simply some remote, purely intellectual potentiality, but something that was all too real.
Let me stress at this point that what little we know of King Charles’ condition, it is a “very encouraging status quo”, as a Palace source told Page Six earlier this month. The 76-year-old’s health is being “managed” and “moving in a positive direction”.
The King’s diagnosis reminded us he was human after all. Picture: Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Getty Images
There are clear, positive signs too. It now seems more and more likely that in the next few months he and Queen Camilla will be off on a State visit to Italy to do some professional gelato-sampling. Belissima!
Still, there is no ignoring the reality; that His Majesty is flesh and blood. That the timetable that everyone had assumed, that Charles would rule into his late 90s like his parents, was suddenly called into painful doubt.
“He looks quite knackered up close and red around the eyes and thinner,” a royal insider who has seen Charles told Page Six this month.
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“Especially for someone who normally looks so vigorous, but I suppose it’s only to be expected after 10 months of cancer treatment.”
The past year has been an “awakening” for William, the Telegraph reported late last year, with him having (like all of us) “once expected to have decades ahead of him as the Prince of Wales”.
In December, respected biographer Sally Bedell Smith told People that, due to Charles’ cancer, “[William] and Kate have been preparing for their future roles sooner than they would have expected”.
“There’s a sense of calm before the storm,” an insider told the magazine.
“They are next in line for the biggest job of their lives.”
Kate and William are now preparing for the biggest roles of their lives. Picture: Will Warr/Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
Last year, The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes reported that while Charles is “doing fantastically well”, “secret plans” for his death were already being made. According Sykes, the monarch’s February 5 announcement of his diagnosis “fired the starting pistol on what courtiers euphemistically term the ‘change of reign’ … The planning and positioning for the reign of King William V, necessarily and behind the scenes, began — and it will be very hard to put that genie back in the bottle”.
Call it, as one close royal source previously told People’s longtime royal editor Simon Perry, “an institutional preparedness”.
Still William, veteran royal biographer Hugo Vickers told Page Six, “must be under tremendous stress — not only is his father ill, but the Prince of Wales, throughout history, doesn’t know what morning he will wake up and find himself King”.
Hopefully not for a very, very long time yet. And I’m sure I’ve read about the health benefits of gelato, right?
$33bn: Royals mind-blowing real estate portfolio revealed
The British Royal Family has one of the largest and most impressive real estate portfolios in the world.
The magnificent collection owned both via The Crown Estate and private titles consists of a range of properties from extravagant palaces and castles to cottages.
According to the New York Times, the Royals’ real estate assets are worth around $33 billion.
And Forbes reported it generated around $50m in profits over the last financial year.
From world famous royal residences to lesser-known homes, here is a list of The Royals real estate portfolio and what the properties are worth.
Buckingham Palace
The London palace is the official London residence of the UK’s sovereign, and has been since 1837. Today, the palace is also home to the administrative headquarters of the Monarch.
Buckingham Palace has a grand total of 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 19 state rooms.
It also houses a cinema, pool, post office, police station, doctor’s surgery, a jeweller’s workshop and even a cash machine.
Estimated valued: around $7.35 billion
Windsor Castle
For more than 900 years, Windsor Castle just outside London has been both a private home and official royal residence.
Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret were raised in the castle, which was considered to be the former Monarch’s favoured London home.
The late Queen would often use the castle as a weekender and St George’s Chapel on the estate was the location of Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018.
Sitting on 5.2ha, the castle has approximately 1000 rooms and is considered to be the largest occupied castle in the world.
In 1992, the property suffered a catastrophic fire that destroyed 115 rooms, including nine State Rooms which have since been restored.
Estimated value $850m
Windsor Castle. Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kensington Palace
The birthplace of Queen Victoria, the palace has been the private home and office space for numerous royals including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
From 2017, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton and their family lived in apartment 1A, a four-storey, 20 room wing at Kensington. In 2022, William and Kate moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor full time.
Apartments 8 and 9, two conjoined chambers, was the marital home of Prince Charles and Diana in the 1980s.
The 547-room residence was and briefly home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Estimated value $923m.
Kensington Palace. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images
St. James’s Palace
The former residence of the monarchs of England until the reign of Queen Victoria, St James’s Palace holds an important role in the monarchy as it’s where the Garter King of Arms formally announces the accession of the new king or queen after the death of a monarch.
The Chapel Royal on the grounds is the favoured spot for royal christenings including Prince George and even Meghan Markle weeks before she married Harry.
The palace hosts charity receptions associated with members of the royal family.
It’s also the London residence of Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Alexandra.
Estimated valued: $1bn
Balmoral Castle
Built by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the castle has been bequeathed to each monarch ever since.
Queen Elizabeth’s beloved summer home sits on 20,234ha with 150 buildings on the sprawling estate — including Craigowan Lodge, a rustic stone cottage where then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana would stay when in Scotland.
Estimated value $95m
Balmoral Castle. Picture: Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Clarence House
Since King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles married in 2005, Clarence House has been their official London home. They will continue to live there until at least 2027 while renovations to Buckingham Palace are ongoing.
Built in 1825 and 1827, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip also lived at the five-bedroom townhouse after marrying in 1947, as did William and Kate post nuptials in 2011.
Clarence House was also the final home of the Queen Mother until her passing in 2002.
Prince William and Prince Harry also lived in the luxury home until moving into their own private residences at Kensington Palace in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Estimated value: $500m
Highgrove House
A private home of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla, Highgrove was purchased by Charles in 1980 for £865,000.
Initially a weekend home for the then-Prince of Wales and Princess Diana, the property has nine bedrooms, six bathrooms and is surrounded by 364ha of organic land and elaborate gardens.
Estimated value: Unknown
Clarence House. Picture: Ming Yeung/Getty Images
Sandringham House
Acquired in 1862 for the future King Edward VII, this estate has been passed down to each monarch since.
Most well known as the meeting place for royals at Christmas, the 775-room palace has 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms and sits on 7689ha.
Estimated value: $234m
Hampton Court Palace
A popular tourist attraction and museum since 1838, Hampton Court Palace is the former seat of the Tudor dynasty, including the infamous Henry VIII.
The last monarch to actually live at the palace was King George who died in 1760.
More than 500 years old, the historic palace on 24ha has 1390 rooms and has been operating as a museum since 1838.
Estimated value: around $1.7 billion
Sandringham House. Picture: iStock
Frogmore House
An official residence since 1792, it was bought by George III for Queen Charlotte and has remained in the royal family ever since.
Unoccupied since 1872, the royals often host events at the residence including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding reception in 2018.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex briefly lived there after marrying before heading to the US.
Estimated value: $4m
Frogmore Cottage
The former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Frogmore Cottage shares the same grounds as Frogmore House.
The cottage was built in 1801 under the direction of Queen Charlotte. Formerly five separate apartments, the historic cottage is now a 10-bedroom residence, surrounded by 33 acres of private gardens next to Windsor Castle.
Frogmore Cottage. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Royal Lodge
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson live in the 30-room home on the Windsor Estate.
He signed a lease in 2003 and paid for the renovations.
Back in June, King Charles III reportedly threatened to cut ties completely with his brother as the disgraced duke refuses to leave Royal Lodge for his new home in Frogmore Cottage.
Sources close to Andrew told The Sun that he will not leave Royal Lodge citing a 75-year lease on the property that does not expire until June 15, 2078.
The Duke of York’s Royal Lodge where he has lived since 2002
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Although Balmoral was Queen Elizabeth’s favourite Scottish retreat, Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland.
Originally a monastery built in the 1120s, the historic 289-room palace on more than 4ha is best known as the one-time home of Mary Queen of Scots.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse. Picture: iStock
Hillsborough Castle
A 40ha property dating back to the late 18th century, Hillsborough Castle is the official Northern Ireland residence of the monarch and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
The ten-bedroom mansion underwent a five-year $24 million refurbishment which the Queen reportedly never got to see. Under an exceptional caveat, The Crown is contracted by the Secretary to manage Hillsborough Castle.
Llwynywermod
King Charles bought the home for $2 million in 2007 and Queen Camilla has worked on refurbishing it.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, Prince William took ownership of the property.
Last year the King wasn’t happy with his son charging him rent on the Royals’ holiday home.
Llwynywermod. Picture: Getty Images
The Castle of Mey
A residence Charles inherited from his grandmother, The Castle of May is on the north coast of Scotland in Caithness.
In early May 2019, Charles III formally opened Granary Lodge, a 10-bedroom bed and breakfast on the castle grounds, available for rent for about $645 a night.
Dumfries House
Charles III raised a reported $76 million in 2007 to buy the estate and its entire contents through one of his foundations.
Today, the 18th century home on 2000 acres is open to the public for guided tours and has a lodge within the grounds where guests are able to stay overnight.
The Blue House
Although there are only 450 people in the ancient Saxon village of Viscri in Transylvania, Romania, one of the landowners is actually Charles III.
His most notable is a seven-bedroom property known as The Blue House, which can even be rented out from $178 a night.
Viscri Fortified Medieval Saxon Church in the village of Viscri, Transylvania, Romania built as a stronghold fortification by the Saxons in Transylvania
Harry and Meghan’s Santa Barbara Home
In 2020, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle snapped up a sprawling estate in Santa Barbara after leaving the British royal family.
The property boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, as well as a pool, theatre and gym.
The couple bought the lavish home in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, California, where they count the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres as neighbours.
It’s reportedly the first home that both Prince Harry and Meghan had ever owned.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s home in Montecito, in Santa Barbara, California. Picture: Supplied
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