- Yeshi Kassa left royal life behind after the Ethiopian revolution in 1974.
- She told Insider she didn't disclose her royal heritage while working on Wall Street.
- She said she would never use her status to get a job: "Your work better speak for itself."
Yeshi Kassa may be descended from royalty, but she doesn't let it influence her professional life.
Kassa is the great-granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, who was deposed during the country's revolution in 1974. Kassa previously told Insider that many of her relatives, including the emperor, were killed during the revolution while others were imprisoned.
Meanwhile, Kassa lived in exile during the UK, and was studying at boarding school when the revolution began.
She previously told Insider she pursued a career as a commodity broker in the UK before relocating to the US several years later when her family were released from prison. Seven female members of the royal family were released in May 1988 after 14 years of imprisonment, the Associated Press reported at the time.
Speaking on Insider's editorial Spotlight panel, "The Exiled Royal," on Wednesday, Kassa said she worked in commodity exchange on Wall Street in New York City without disclosing her royal heritage.
"I was a Wall Street baby, I was one of those people who screamed and shouted on the commodity exchange," Kassa said. "Nobody knew who I was."
"I very rarely tell people who I am, but if I do need it for something, and I say who I am, most people will say, 'My goodness, it's Haile Selassie, of course we know about him.' And you will benefit from that," she added.
Kassa added that she only uses her royal status to promote charitable events or help her voice be heard on certain issues.
"But in terms of getting a job or something, your work better speak for itself," she said. "I've never used it like that."
Kassa said she relocated from the US to Ethiopia in 2000 and worked in banking and on charitable initiatives, before returning to New York in 2015 to work on "Grandpa Was an Emperor," a documentary about Haile Selassie that was directed by Constance Marks.
The documentary, which examines the events that led to the revolution, is available on streaming platforms including Apple TV and Amazon Prime.