Prince Joel Makonnen is the great-grandson of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, the last emperor of Ethiopia. Prince Joel descends from the oldest monarchy in the world, the Solomonic Dynasty, which ruled Ethiopia for over 3,000 years and traces its lineage back to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Prince Joel was born in Rome, Italy, while his family was in exile after the Ethiopian Revolution. He grew up in Geneva, Switzerland and attended boarding school in the French Alps. After completing two years of university in Nice, France, he transferred to American University in Washington, DC, where he obtained his Bachelor's in Business Administration at Kogod School of Business. Prince Joel went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia. He works as a corporate attorney for a multinational pharmaceutical company in the DC area.

 

Prince Joel is also the co-founder of Alchemy World Projects, an NGO dedicated to creating schools and entrepreneurship curriculums for poor youth across Ethiopia. Prince Joel is also co-owner of the Wabe Shebelle Hotel in Addis Ababa, serves as director on the board and travels regularly to Ethiopia to oversee the business. In September 2017, Prince Joel married his longtime love and soulmate, Ariana Austin. The Prince and Princess have begun their married life together and recently settled in their new home in Washington.