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Sir Sam Jonah KBE, has revealed the circumstances under which he was allowed to attend his British knighthood ceremony at the Buckingham Palace with his entire family.

According to him, the event was to be undertaken by the late Queen Elizabeth II but due to another engagement along diplomatic lines, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) took that responsibility.

In an interview on the BBUM show, a personality profile programme on Ghana Television (September 25), the former Ashanti Goldfields CEO explained why instead of his wife alone accompanying him, his children were allowed to attend.

He described the opportunity as a "privilege to have been invited and honoured by the British Royal Family."

“I had the privilege to be knighted by Prince Charles in 2003, it was quite an experience, I was fortunate I took my entire family with me, which was very unusual. Because usually, they would ask you to come with your spouse.

“I was fortunate because what happened was, that same day, the reason why I was not knighted by the Queen was that, the Queen was hosting President Putin to a state lunch and therefore it fell on Prince Charles.

“Therefore, Prince Charles said, bring your entire family and so I took my entire family,” he added.

Sam Jonah attended the ceremony with his wife and five children according to a PA photo sighted by GhanaWeb.

In his view, the new King is a “hugely understated and underappreciated person,” adding that he has a commanding presence, and unenforced authority and he is a delight to be with.

He said he felt hugely privileged and fortunate for one-hour meeting his family had with the new monarch at the Buckingham Palace.

In June 2003, Jonah became the first Ghanaian to be knighted in the 21st century when he was presented with an honorary knighthood (KBE) by the then Prince of Wales, in recognition of his achievements as an African businessman, a leading business executive from the Commonwealth, and an international public figure.