How Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie ended up living in Bath

Emperor Selassie addressed the League of Nations – the precursor of the United Nations – “and gave a very passionate speech saying essentially that if it’s us today, it will be you tomorrow”, continued Prof Sobers.

He said at that point, the UK had been “keeping Mussolini cosy”.

“When the emperor originally came to England, the crowds came out at Paddington Station.

“He was really popular and he was basically an embarrassment to the British government,” Prof Sobers said.

He was told to “keep his head down” and “go out to the provinces”.

One of the reasons the emperor chose Bath was to have access to the city’s “healing waters” to treat the mustard gas burns on his hands and arms from the chemical warfare being used in Ethiopia.

He bought Fairfield House and moved in his children, as well as servants, government ministers and Ethiopian priests.

“It was a big entourage that lived in Bath, so they were very noticeable,” said the professor.

But the group became of part of the community, with Emperor Selassie’s children playing with the neighbourhood kids and inviting them round for dinner.

Prof Sobers remembered speaking to a Mrs King, who used to play with the emperor’s children, but had been “really, really embarrassed” when she had eaten dinner at their house as they had dined on gold plates and her knife would make a loud scraping sound.