Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah

Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah, MVO (born 1979) 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 and Iraq.

Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah
Born1979 (age 41–42)
Ghana
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Armed Forces
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitHousehold Cavalry
Battles/warsAfghanistan War and Iraq War
AwardsMember of the Royal Victorian Order

Early life and education

Nana Twumasi-Ankrah was born in Ghana in 1979 and moved to the United Kingdom with his parents in 1982 when he was three years old. His father is a former Head of Military Intelligence for the Ghanaian Army. He enrolled at Queen Mary University, London upon completion of his school education (where he was also a member of the University of London Officer Training Corps) and then joined the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.[3][4][5] Twumasi-Ankrah was then commissioned in the Blues and Royals.[6]

Working life

Twumasi-Ankrah has worked all his life in the military. He was the first black African British Army officer to be commissioned directly into the Household Cavalry.[2] He became known to the public in 2011 when he acted as escort commander at the Royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton and was seen alongside the 1902 State Landau in the carriage procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace.[2] Twumasi-Ankrah 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] He currently holds the military rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

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 and senior positions in the royal household, requiring his attendance at official engagements at Buckingham Palace and other Royal residences. [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 coincided with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, cutting back on his public appearances and his subsequent retirement from public life. [12][13]

At Windsor Castle on 27 November 2020, Twumasi-Ankrah was received by The Queen invested him with the MVO upon relinquishing his appointment as Equerry. [14]

Personal life

Twumasi-Ankrah is married to Joanna Hanna-Grindall, who is a senior corporate partnerships manager at the Victoria and Albert Museum.[2] The couple currently have two children. He is known as TA amongst his Army colleagues.[12][15]

References
  1. "Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah". deccanchronicle. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  2. "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. 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. 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. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/court-circular-november-27-2020-jmmqjgs6j
  15. "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.
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