As the only British monarch now commemorating a platinum jubilee (70 years) on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has just created history.
As a result, there have been a lot of fascinating tales about the regal figure’s lengthy and influential life, who will age 96 in April 2022.
Ghana was one of Britain’s most notable former colonies, so it should come as no surprise that the Queen visited the West African nation twice during her lifetime, in 1961 and 1999, respectively, while Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry John Rawlings were in office.
But there are even more fascinating tales about why Queen Elizabeth II went to Ghana for the first time in 1961.
The study states that there were two main motivations: first, to prevent Ghana from leaving the commonwealth; and second, to reject the idea of racism, particularly while America continued to refuse Black people the right to vote in 1961.
According to newsweek.com, when the 35-year-old Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Ghana, she did something that was highly symbolic of the purpose of her visit: the queen danced with Kwame Nkrumah.
“In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, Britain and America feared Ghana would leave the Commonwealth and fall under the influence of the Soviet Union, U.K. newspaper The Times reported.
“Up stepped the queen, then 35, on a mission to persuade President Kwame Nkrumah not to leave the partnership of nations she cherished.
“During a visit to capital city Accra, the queen was photographed dancing happily with the Ghanaian leader at a time when black people in America were still denied the right to vote,” the report said.
bomb threat before Queen Elizabeth’s arrival
According to a biography.com story, the public and members of Parliament were very concerned prior to the Queen’s journey due to the escalating unrest in Ghana.
They were also concerned that the visit might become too dangerous. On October 19, 1961, Winston Churchill wrote to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to express these concerns, saying in part: “I have the impression that there is widespread uneasiness both over the physical safety of the Queen and, perhaps more, because her visit would seem to endorse a regime that has imprisoned hundreds of Opposition members without trial and which is thoroughly authoritarian.”
Five days before Elizabeth’s trip was scheduled to start, bombs exploded in Ghana’s capital city of Accra, clearly indicating that the president was a target by hitting a statue of Kwame Nkrumah.
The Queen’s potential exposure as collateral damage while with him was of more concern.
Elizabeth the Queen didn’t want to make Ghana look bad.
Queen Elizabeth II was focused on traveling to Ghana and was unfazed by the bombings. Additionally, since she had already canceled on Nkrumah in 1959 when she became pregnant, she was hesitant to organize her journey to the nation a second time.
The Queen was also growing anxious about how close Nkrumah was to the Soviet Union, and her worries that Ghana may turn to the Soviet Union strengthened her resolve to visit Ghana.
In addition, by delaying the visit, the Queen risked encouraging Nkrumah to quit the Commonwealth altogether. She didn’t want to do that in her capacity as leader of the organization.
“How silly I should look if I was scared to visit Ghana and then [Soviet leader Nikita] Khrushchev went and had a good reception,” the Queen is quoted to have said, expressing her feeling of competitiveness in the matter.
Queen Elizabeth also informed her prime minister, “I am not a film star, to further persuade her people of the significance of my visit to Ghana. Since I am the head of the Commonwealth, I am compensated to take on any risks that may arise. I don’t say this lightly either. Please keep in mind that I have three kids.
