Ethiopia May Seek Return of 19th-Century Child Prince's Body from Britain

thiopia may soon demand the repatriation of the remains of an 19th-century prince who died in Britain after being spirited away by invading British troops, a senior official said Friday.

Encouraged by its success in winning the return from Italy of the stolen third-century BC Axum obelisk, Ethiopia is hoping other European countries will send back similarly plundered pieces of its heritage, including the body of the prince, the official said.

"Prince Alemayu is still in Great Britain," Deputy Information Minister Netsannet Asfaw said. "I would like to get the body back."

She said she was not making an official request but felt it was now time for the prince, who was taken to Britain at the age of eight in 1868 after the overthrow of his father emperor Theodor of Ethiopia, to come home.

"As a mother, I think he should come home," she said. "He was a child when he died and he was far away from his country."

Sudan Tribune