I became interested in this question as a result of an auction that I attended. For the princely sum of £155 I bought three large cartons of stamps and envelops and first day covers. When I started sorting through, I realised that most of the contents of the boxes were of little value. However there was one item which piqued my interest.
It was a letter from the Imperial Palace in Addis Ababa – the capital of Ethiopia. Most singificantly, it was a registered letter, with the royal seal in wax on the back with the letters TM – Tafari Makkonik (Tafari means 'Prince' and Makkonik is the family name – and the royal crown. It was cancelled on 1 August 1926. The letter was to Monsieur F Flad, Sonneck, Saint Legier Sur Vevey, in Switzerland. Sonneck is the name of a number of hotels in the region and Saint Legier is a ski resort.
In 1926 Haile Selassie was not yet emperor, but had a sort of role as regent. So was he booking a skiing holiday as a way of unwinding from the cares of government? If anyone can furnish any information, let me know. If you have a picture of Haile Selassie on his skis or enjoying a bit of apres-ski with his pals, we'd love to see them.
In the great scheme of things, the emperor's prowess on the ski slopes is not a particularly important issue. But it's always nice when postal history can shed light on a major historical figure.
see also - Secret sales from the Royal Stamp Collection