25 September 2025 – His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia and Patron of the Royal Ethiopian Trust was honored to exchange greetings and enter into an agreement of mutual recognition and friendship with the Imperial House of Brazil. Letters of recognition were exchanged between Prince Ermias and His Excellency Don Marco de Guadamillas y Cortes, Grand Chancellor of the Imperial House of Brazil.
His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias also bestowed the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon upon His Imperial and Royal Highness Dom Pedro Thiago, Prince Imperial of Brazil (Petropolis Claim). His Imperial and Royal Highness Dom Pedro Thiago of Bourbon-Orleans and Braganza granted Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Dom Pedro I.
Formerly a colony of the Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil became the seat of the Portuguese monarchy in 1808 when the royal family fled from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro following the conquest by Napoleon I. King João VI of Portugal returned to Lisbon, leaving his son Dom Pedro in Brazil. When Brazil declared independence from Portugal in 1822, Dom Pedro was proclaimed Emperor Pedro I. Brazil remained an Empire until 1889 when the monarchy was abolished and the country became a republic. While Ethiopia has had a long relationship with Brazil beginning in the 20th century, this is the first time that the two Imperial Houses have exchanged honors and courtesies.
This historic occasion took place at the United Nations Headquarters during its General Assembly and events marking the 80th Anniversary of the founding of the UN.
