King Charles has hit with huge demand from Ethiopia ahead of the first big royal foreign tour of 2025.
Ethiopia has demanded the return of sacred artefacts looted by British soldiers during the war, 150 years ago.
The artefacts, which include The Miracles of the Virgin Mary, an 18th-century manuscript, golden slippers of Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II, and a shield possibly owned by the emperor, have been held in Britain since being seized at the Battle of Magdala in 1868.
They are currently held in various UK institutions, including the Royal Collection and the British Museum.
Abebaw Ayalew Gella, director general of the Ethiopian Heritage Authority, has deemed the Royal Collection's ownership of these religious manuscripts "immoral."
“It is immoral. You don't just put them somewhere. They are sacred,” he told The Telegraph.
Gella continued, ''What was taken from Magdala was not something that was found there accidentally. This is a very well-planned expedition. We call it looting.”
“We are working on what is where, and how we can negotiate,” the director general added.
The Ethiopian government is leading the campaign for the return of these artefacts, with officials set to formally ask the UK Government for support next year.
