Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: Simultaneously , he began to take an ever more prominent involvement in the many royal visits to Portsmouth ; when Haile Selassie visited the dockyard in September 1937 , he acted as his personal escort and French interpreter .
Simplified: At the same time he got more involved in the many royal visits to Portsmouth . When Haile Selassie visited the dockyard in September 1937 , he acted as his personal escort and French interpreter .