A Ghanaian-born army officer and Afghanistan war veteran who helped escort Prince William and Kate Middleton on their wedding day has been chosen by Queen Elizabeth to be one of her closest aides.
Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah is the Queen’s first black equerry — a role that will see him helping the Queen at official engagements and welcoming VIP guests to royal residences. He is said to be currently preparing for the role by undergoing transition training alongside a senior officer.
The army officer, 38, came to Britain from Ghana with his parents in 1982, and after college and Sandhurst Military Academy he started his career in the army. He now serves in the Household Cavalry, where he was the first black officer to be commissioned into those regiments, noted The Sunday Times, which first reported the story.
With Prince Philip, 96, retiring from public duties in the fall, it is likely the Major, who is known by friends in the regiment as TA, will be among the most visible male members of her entourage at official events.
Group captain Peter Townsend was equerry to the Queen’s father King George VI when he fell in love with Princess Margaret, Elizabeth’s sister. Their love affair was told in the first season of Netflix’s The Crown.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE.COM.