Little Known Black History Fact: Major Twumasi-Ankrah
By D.L. Chandler
With the fervor around Royal Family’s recent announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement to one another, the historic moment overshadowed another that occurred over the summer. Major Nana Kofi “T.A.” Twumasi-Ankrah was named as the first Black equerry, a special assistant to Queen Elizabeth, in British History.
Major Twumasi-Ankrah was born in 1979 in the African na-tion of Ghana, but was primarily raised in the United King-dom. For much of his adult life, Twumasi-Ankrah has served in the British Army with stints at Queen Mary University and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst ahead of joining the Blues and Royals, the cavalry regiment.
Known as T.A. by his friends, Twumasi-Ankrah’s position as equerry is one of the most visible in the Royal Household. He is charged in the post to accompany Queen Elizabeth at formal engagements at Buckingham Palace, and abroad.
Along with the historic first, Twumasi-Ankrah is also the first Black British Army officer to be commissioned into the Household Calvary and came to fame in 2011 when he served as escort commander for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Twumasi-Ankrah is married to Joanna Hanna-Grindall, a manager for the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, which is the largest decorative arts and design museum in the world. They are the parents of two young children.
