Neither the Royal Navy, Nor Ethiopia’s Emperor, Thought this Prank Was Funny
The pranksters made it to Weymouth in their VIP carriage, and at the appointed hour, the Royal Navy welcomed the “princes” with an honor guard. No Ethiopian flag was found, and nobody knew what the Ethiopian anthem sounded like. So a Zanzibar flag was flown, while a band played Zanzibar’s national anthem. The “royals” were conducted around the battleship, and given a tour of the fleet. Throughout, they communicated amongst themselves with gibberish. To show their appreciation or amazement at impressive items, they frequently exclaimed “Bunga Bunga!” Since none of their escorts knew Ethiopian, nobody caught on. To show their appreciation, the princes tried to bestow honors upon the helpful naval officers. The intended honorees included Commander and future admiral Willie Fisher. Two of the pranksters were his cousins, but he failed to recognize them in their guise.
When the hoax came to light, the RN was mocked and ridiculed. Embarrassed, it sought to have de Vere Cole prosecuted. That went nowhere, as no laws had been broken. Eventually, officials decided to put on the best face possible, and act as if they thought it was funny. They negotiated a punishment in which the pranksters, except for Virginia Woolf, were symbolically flogged by junior officers. Of course, the blackface bit aged badly. Later that year, an actual Ethiopian royal, Emperor Menelik II, visited Britain. He did not think the prank had been funny. Children taunted him on the streets with cries of “Bunga Bunga!“, and the RN denied his request to inspect the fleet, out of fear of further embarrassment.