Prince Makonnen

Prince Makonnen

Prince Makonnen Haile Selassie, Duke of Harar (baptismal name: Araya Yohannes; 16 October 1923–13 May 1957) was the second son, and second youngest child, of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and Empress Menen Asfaw. He was made Mesfin (or Duke) of Harar upon the coronation of his parents in 1930.

It was widely believed that Emperor Haile Selassie favored the Duke of Harar over all his other children, and it was even rumored that the Emperor even considered naming Makonnen as his heir, instead of his liberal elder son, Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen. However, Prince Makonnen died in an automobile crash in 1957 on his way to the resort town of Adama from Debre Zeit, east of Addis Ababa. He was buried in the crypt of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.