During his 74th birthday Thanksgiving on Monday, May 6, 2024, the Ashantihene, Nana Osei Tutu II, made a surprising revelation regarding his father. The king revealed that his mother had threatened to leave the marriage numerous times due to his father’s infidelity.
However, his uncle intervened and advised his mother to stay in the marriage until she gave birth to a special son, who turned out to be Nana Osei Tutu II himself.
Despite being a royal, he did not grow up in the palace, as he was taken to live with his uncle, whom he had always believed to be his elder brother until recently.
“My mother wanted to leave my father even before I was born because he was a womanizer but my Uncle insisted on her staying because he needed something special. After giving birth to me, my mother insisted on leaving and her family okayed it. When I was born, my Uncle ensured I left the Palace and stayed with a relative. Until recently, I thought this relative was my big brother.
My mother used to visit us just like she was visiting her brother and nothing else. Sometimes, the King of the Ashanti Kingdom came to visit us and I will be serving him but I didn’t know I was royalty. Even when I got admission to Prempeh College, I wasn’t allowed to go. Rather, I was taken to Sefwi. My Osae told me there was a disciplinarian in Sefwi so they took me there until I finished Secondary School.”
Story by Obaapa Janee
