Otumfuo mourns with UK over passing of Queen Elizabeth II
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has conveyed his deepest condolence and that of Asanteman to the United Kingdom on the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, describing her as the longest reigning monarch and cherished Head of the Commonwealth.
In a statement signed by the Chief of Staff of the Manhyia Palace, Kofi Badu, and copied the Ghanaian Times, the Asantehene indicated that, “Her Majesty leaves us as a historical marvel of service and dedication to country and humanity, the anchor of stability in tumultuous seas and the source of hope and inspiration in the darkest of times.”
According to the statement through seven long decades in an epoch of the most traumatic and awesome challenges, “she has worn the crown of sovereignty with matchless dignity, unfailing grace, integrity and fortitude.”
It said, the historic transformation of the British Empire from imperial discord to the Commonwealth of free nations bound in mutual friendship by a commitment to shared values “bears the delicate imprint of the much-loved matriarch.”
The Asante Kingdom, it said, has been particularly conscious of the fact that it was during her reign that the scars of past history were finally overlaid by a new relationship based upon mutual respect and friendship.
It recalled that the late Queen graciously received three Kings of Asante and visited Kumasi during her reign with other members of the Royal family also visiting to underscore the values of true friendship.
In concert with the rest of Ghana and the millions across the Commonwealth of nations, the statement, said the “Asante Kingdom mourns with the Royal family over the loss of this impregnable fortress and take solace in the knowledge that in her legacy there is a perpetual light that will shine the path to a desirable future.”
The statement was copied to the British High Commissioner in Accra, Her Excellency Harriet Thompson.
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI