.... to Her Majesty the Queen of England…….

Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland H. E. Victor Emmanuel Smith has presented his letters of Commission to her Majesty the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace in London.

At the short and colourful ceremony which exhibited a collage of Ghanaian and British culture, H.E. Victor Smith and his wife Mrs. Adwoa Smith were treated to a traditional British chariot ride from the offices of the Ghanaian High Commission to the Buckingham Palace. As the Royal chariot meandered through Hyde Park Corner from Belgrave Square to the forecourt of Buckingham Palace known for its tourist attraction, bystanders and onlookers greeted the spectacle by waving and taking pictures.

Her Majesty the Queen received the letters of His Excellency Victor Smith and discussed various subjects ranging from Ghana’s cultural and colonial ties to Britain as a member of the Commonwealth and the Ebola outbreak in some parts of West Africa. They also reminisced on the Queen’s visit to Ghana in 1999 when she first encountered His Excellency Victor Smith who was then an aide to former President Rawlings. His Excellency the High Commissioner was accompanied to the Buckingham Place by his wife, Mrs Adwoa Smith, Mr. George Blankson, Head of Consular and Welfare, Mr. Asare Damptey, Head of Chancery, Commodore Seth Coomson, Defence Attaché and Ms. Zuwera Ibrahimah, Head of Information and Public Affairs. The presentation of letters was followed by a luncheon reception at the residence of the High Commissioner which was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, chiefs and elders from the Ghanaian community in London, friends and family of the Smith’s and staff of the Ghana High Commission.

The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps H.E. Mr. Khaled Al-Duwaisan GCVO congratulated H. E. Victor Smith on a successful presentation of letters and expressed his great admiration for Ghanaian culture, especially its kente and warm people. The Marshall of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr. Alistair Harrison CMG CVO in congratulating H.E. Victor Smith, paid glowing tribute to the three Ghanaian MPs in the British Parliament as well as Lord Boateng, Kofi Annan and Danny Welbeck all illustrious sons of Ghana. He assured the High Commissioner of continued good relations with Ghana.

High Commissioner Smith is the 15th Ghanaian High Commissioner accredited to the Court of St. James to serve in the United Kingdom.

Report By: Information and Public Affairs Ghana High Commission, London