Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah

Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah
Born 1979 (age 38–39)
Ghana
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Armed Forces
Rank Major
Unit Household Cavalry
Battles/wars Afghanistan War

Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah is a Ghanaian-born officer in the British Army. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as her equerry, he is the first black man to hold this position.[1][2] Twumasi-Ankrah is an officer of the Household Cavalry and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.

Early life and education

Nana Twumasi-Ankrah was born in Ghana in 1979 and moved to the United Kingdom with his parents in 1983 when he was three years old. He enrolled at Queen Mary University in London and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[3][4][5] He then joined the Blues and Royals.[6]

Working life

Twumasi-Ankrah has worked all his life in the military. He was the first black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Cavalry.[2] He became known to the public in 2011 when he acted as escort commander at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.[2] He was appointed as commander of the Blues and Royals at the Trooping the Colour ceremony during the Queen's birthday celebrations the same year.[2] Twumasi-Ankrah currently holds the military rank of Major.

Equerry appointment

In July 2017 Twumasi-Ankrah was named by Queen Elizabeth II as her equerry.[2][7][8] The appointment made him the first black man to perform that role. He succeeds Wing Commander Sam Fletcher, who stepped down from the position in 2017.[9][10] The equerry is considered one of the most important positions in the royal household, requiring his attendance at official engagements at Buckingham Palace and on the road.[5][11] The position is reserved for an officer of one of the armed services and lasts for a period of three years.[5] His appointment coincides with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, cutting back on his public appearances.[12][13]

Personal life

Twumasi-Ankrah is married to Joanna Hanna-Grindall, who is a corporate partnerships manager at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[2] The couple have two children.[12][14]

References

  1. ↑ "Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah". deccanchronicle. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The Queen appoints Britain's first black equerry". royalnews.live. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth hires first ever black assistant". independent.co.uk. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ghanaian Born Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, 38, Appointed First Black Equerry By Queen Elizabeth II". ghanacelebrities. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Association, Press. "Queen hires first black equerry". telegraph.co.uk. telegraph. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Walker, Sarah. "Meet the Queen's new equerry Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah". ca.hellomagazine.com. hellomagazine. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "firstpost". major-nana-kofi-twumasi-ankrah. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Queen picks first black equerry". hetimes.co.uk. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  9. ↑ "Ghanaian named first black equerry by Queen Elizabeth". citifmonline. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah becomes Queen Elizabeth's FIRST EVER black assistant". enewsgh. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "major-nana-kofi-twumasi-ankrah". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  12. 1 2 Abedi, Maham. "The Queen appoints first official black assistant in British royal history". globalnews.ca. globalnews. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Gordon, Naomi. "The Queen Has Hired The First Black Equerry, Major Nana Twumasi-Ankrah". elleuk.com. elleuk. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth's first ever black equerry is Ghanaian-born". dailyaccra.com. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.