According to The Sunday Times,  Twumasi-Ankrah was handpicked by the Queen herself from a number of potential appointees.

The position is an extremely important one with the equerry more often than not appearing with the Queen in her public appearances, a fact the Times reports could make him “the most visible man by the Queen’s side” due to the imminent retirement of Duke of Edinburgh.

38-year-old Twumasi-Ankrah left Ghana for the United Kingdom 35 years ago with his parents.

He studied at the Queen Mary University of London and the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, going on to become the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry, and fighting in the Afghanistan war.

He currently lives in London with his wife, Joanna and two daughters.

Known as TA to his close friends, Twumasi-Ankrah served as escort commander at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton back in 2011.

He also commanded a cavalry regiment of the British Army; the Blues and Royals, which took part in a ceremony at the Queen’s birthday parade in the same year.

Reports indicate that he will replace the current equerry Wing Commander Sam Fletcher later in 2017 and is currently going through the transition process.

Twumasi-Ankrah had earlier stated that he was honoured to have played an important role in the Queen’s parade having watched it on TV as a child.

“I would have never imagined that one day I’d command the regiment which I’d fallen in love with,” he said.

The appointment by the Queen is also seen as one that will help clear any perceptions about racial discrimination the Royal Household and British elite, an idea Twuamsi-Ankrah completely supports

“From what I’ve seen in the UK, our cultures really do mix and if I’m not a good example of that I really don’t know what is,” he added.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghanaian named first black equerry by Queen Elizabeth appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They are Elijah Amoo Addo, Winnifred Selby and Efua Asibon.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oBtQ5WgaLo0hwrSigb5WVsj4Kwu4L8di”]The three were among the 60 young people in the Commonwealth to receive the award at the Buckingham Palace last week.

The event was attended by many personalities from the British royal family including Prince Harry praised the recipients for their hardwork and commitment to developing their respective communities.

This year’s event saw the Royal Family going Live on Facebook for the first time.

The three Ghanaians were presented with medals by Queen Elizabeth II. Before the ceremony, they received mentoring and training from the University of Cambridge.

Elijah Amoo Addo, a chef, is the founder of Food for All Ghana; an organization through which he collects leftover foods from restaurants and food vendors to feed the mentally challenged and needy people.

While receiving his award from Queen Elizabeth, he accepted her request to cook for her and promised to cook ‘waakye’ for her.

Winnifred Selby, through her EPF Educational Empowerment Initiative and Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative supports pupils in rural communities access education by providing them with bamboo bicycles and sanitary pads to ensure that they do not miss school and are punctual.

Efua Asibon helps to raise awareness on disability and has committed herself to improving teaching in special schools.

She is the co-founder of Dislabelled, an organisation which provides a teacher training programme called SustainAbility, offers a scholarship fund for disabled children and is currently organising a forum for parents of disabled children.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief, The Royal Commonwealth Society and the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education, in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.

Each year, 60 Queen’s Young Leaders receive bespoke training, mentoring and networking opportunities, and take part in a week-long residential programme in London, to empower them to build on the work they are leading in their communities which is changing the lives of others for the better.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 3 Ghanaians honoured by Queen Elizabeth in UK appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.