In 1952, Iskinder entered the
Britannia Royal Naval College as a cadet and passed out as a
midshipman. In 1955, he was commissioned into the newly established
Imperial Ethiopian Navy as a
sub-lieutenant, and in 1958, at the age of 21, was made its Deputy Commander, with the rank of
Commander. Despite his reputation as a "vigorous and progressive" commander and ties to the Imperial Family, Iskinder was a minor figure in Ethiopian politics. While some sources suggest that Iskinder was a possible successor to Emperor
Haile Selassie, others maintain the emperor did not trust him and did not give him significant positions of responsibility. This is contradicted by others who maintain that the Prince remained close to his grandfather to the end, and had dinner with him almost daily. Following a naval mutiny of 25-26 February 1974, he fled the naval base in
Massawa, staying in
Djibouti for a few weeks until called back to Addis Ababa on 8 March. On 12 September, when the Emperor was overthrown by the
Derg, Iskinder was placed into detention by the military junta. He was one of
sixty imperial officials executed on 23 November 1974. ==Personal life==