The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall's visit to the Ashanti kingdom
This is The Prince of Wales’ second visit to the Ashanti Kingdom, and the first for The Duchess of Cornwall.
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will be in Ghana from 2 to 6 November. On 4 November, they will visit Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom, a historic region with a strong connection to the UK.
Their Royal Highnesses will meet His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene (the King of the Ashanti) and his wife, Lady Julia Osei Tutu, at the Manhyia Palace. They will have a guided tour of the Palace Museum and see many of the treasured artefacts that tell the story of the Ashanti people and the shared Anglo-Ashanti history.
At the Palace, Their Royal Highnesses will participate in a Grand Durbar, the ‘Akwesidae’. This spectacular occasion, will showcase the rich culture of the Ashanti people. Their Royal Highnesses will enjoy a cultural display and traditional music in the company of the Asantehene, local Chiefs, religious leaders and guests from across the Ashanti kingdom.
A visit to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST) will give Their Royal Highnesses the opportunity to meet with academics and students from one of Ghana’s most prominent universities. To celebrate the occasion, The Prince of Wales will plant a tree on the campus grounds, alongside Ghanaian alumni from the Commonwealth Scholarships programme. The university will also host The Duchess of Cornwall and Lady Julia for The Royal Commonwealth Society Africa’s reading circle initiative and observe innovative learning materials and methods developed with support from the UK government’s Department for International Development.
The Duchess of Cornwall will visit the National Cultural Centre, alongside Lady Julia, where she will meet artisans who make traditional Ghanaian crafts such as kente cloth weavers, potters and bead-makers and learn about how the centre preserves the traditional techniques so that these crafts remain part of Ghana’s heritage for generations to come.
Separately, The Prince of Wales will visit a cocoa farm on the outskirts of the city to see how traditional cocoa farming practices are becoming more sustainable and environmentally sound. The visit is part of a broader initiative by The Prince of Wales to engage industry on reducing the deforestation attributed to cocoa farming in Ghana. He will also visit the new Kejetia market – a site that will soon house the 10,000+ market traders that make up West Africa’s largest open market.
Further information
For more information on The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and their links to the Commonwealth, visit here and follow @ClarenceHouse on Twitter and Instagram, (#RoyalVisitGhana), like @The BritishMonarchy on Facebook and visit The Royal Channel on YouTube.
For more information, please contact the British High Commission on 0302213200 or visit our website For more information, please contact the British High Commission on 0302213200 or visit www.ukinghana.fco.gov.uk