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# Audience with The Monarch: The Cameroonians who met Queen Elizabeth II
- URL: https://www.bontehmagazine.com/audience-with-the-monarch-the-cameroonians-who-met-queen-elizabeth-ii/
- Published: 2026-08-24T22:01:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-24T22:01:27.000Z
- Description: The late monarch never made it on Cameroonian soil.
- Author: B. Engelbert Jr
- Tags: Politics

In nearly seven decades as British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II undertook well [over a hundred and fifty visits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%5Fof%5FCommonwealth%5Fofficial%5Ftrips%5Fmade%5Fby%5FElizabeth%5FII?ref=bontehmagazine.com) to commonwealth nations. 

Dubbed ‘Africa in miniature’, Cameroon formally joined the commonwealth in November 1995, ‘as its[ 52nd member country](https://www.cameroon-tribune.cm/article.html/36343/fr.html/cameroon-commonwealth-celebrating-25-years?ref=bontehmagazine.com)’. However, that is not where the story of Cameroon and Britain begins. It runs from King Akwa’s letters to ‘Dearest Madam’ Queen Victoria in 1879, through Britain’s invasion of [German colony of Kamerun in World War I (1912 -1916)](https://www.bmz.de/en/countries/cameroon/background-52204?ref=bontehmagazine.com), to the subsequent British Administration of Cameroon under a League of Nations mandate. The long-lasting relationship has witnessed just 10 Cameroonians visit Buckingham Palace, for reasons ranging from state-level diplomacy, pre-independence politics and grassroots innovation.

In 1956, during a ‘Royal Tour of Nigeria’, Her Majesty the Queen attended a garden party at Government House, Lagos. The Royal Trust Collection holds that there is “Photograph of Queen Elizabeth II shaking hands with two men from Southern Cameroon, during a Garden Party”, yet the identities of these [“two men” remain lost in history.](https://www.rct.uk/collection/2003055/the-queen-meets-the-people-of-south-cameroon-royal-tour-of-nigeria-1956?ref=bontehmagazine.com)

The first recorded presidential audience came in May 1985, when President Paul Biya, then 52, accompanied by his late wife [Jeanne-Irène Biya](https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/biya-cameroon/?ref=bontehmagazine.com), was received at Buckingham Palace. The meeting aimed at strengthening economic and bilateral cooperation between Yaoundé and London. Nearly two decades later — as tension brewed in anticipation of the October 2004 elections — Biya made an official visit to [London in February 2004](https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item%3A2886925/view?TSPD%5F101%5FR0=08fd114d42ab2000a682f2bc314c6af0133d7ccb06f5325e68988f0d72409be96d254ad7828254b5089a19b5f01430008652ff728264f9d344ce6bc7ea14bef468093cee1ad2277a4a73033a3ada18ea9f269e78c2ba1693834ce0f0948d8910&ref=bontehmagazine.com). This time with his second wife Chantal ‘Pulchérie Vigouroux’ Biya. Talks focused on bilateral relations and ‘preparations of the electoral roll for this year's presidential elections’, [according to Hansard](https://sici.hks.harvard.edu/person/joannes-paulus-yimbesalu/?ref=bontehmagazine.com) (UK Parliament). 

After Cameroon joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1995, its representation in London changed from ‘Ambassadors’ to ‘High Commissioners’. [Dr. Samuel Libock Mbei](https://www.queenelizabeth.com/court-circulars/1995?month=7&page=5&ref=bontehmagazine.com) served as the first High Commissioner (1995–2008). Over his 14-year tenure, Dr. Samuel met the Queen on multiple occasion, though there are no publicly available photos of them. 

Chief Ephraim Inoni, Cameroon’s Prime Minister from 2004 to 2009 and a long-time aide of President Biya. While standalone portraits are absent, Inoni appears in official [Commonwealth leaders’ group](https://comsec-web-static.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/ilibrary/chapter-pdfs/6549.pdf?VersionId=PdqrmLIIJPIEo1VlNDYHWa%5Fb8FrX%5FCB0&ref=bontehmagazine.com) photographs with the Queen. He was later[ “found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to 20 years in jail”. ](https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20131004-cameroon-former-pm-ephraim-inoni-sentenced-20-years-jail?ref=bontehmagazine.com)

Away from high-stakes diplomacy, young Cameroonians stepped through Buckingham Palace gates. At the inaugural Queen's Young Leaders Awards in June 2015, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II “presented the Queen's Young Leaders Awards to Alain Nteff, Mallah E. Tabot and Joannes P. Yimbesalu from Cameroon” GOV.UK — the official website of the United Kingdom government. These Cameroonians “were among 60 exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth” who were recognized by Queen Elizabeth II “for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities”.

Alain Nteff gained recognition for co-founding GiftedMom, a digital platform addressing maternal mortality that later “pivoted to Heathlane”. In 2020, Nteff raised $2.4 million (1.3 billion FCFA) for his start-up Healthlane, to assist people obtain quality and affordable healthcare services. Techpoint reported that in “2023, Nteff sent an email to several [Healthlane subscribers informing](https://techpoint.africa/general/healthlane-ilingering-debt-accusations/?ref=bontehmagazine.com) them that the company was modifying its business model”. Nteff’s recent ventures have remained quiet.

Mallah E. Tabot, a journalist and veteran advocate for women and girls' rights, was similarly honored. With 15 years in global health and development, [Tabot specializes in shaping strategy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallahtabot/?ref=bontehmagazine.com), fostering high-impact partnerships, and supporting organizations and communities to deliver equitable, sustainable results. Mallah serves as Lead for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Programming and Innovation at [International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). ](https://www.ippf.org/about-us?ref=bontehmagazine.com#people-of-ippf)

Holding a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, Joannes P. Yimbesalu earned his royal recognition through “his leadership and technology innovation contributions”. Joannes help implement Nigeria’s first digitized birth registration systems and led a national youth volunteering and advocacy campaign that mobilized over 350,000 participants. Today, he is the founder and Executive Director of Africa Skills Alliance (ASA), ), an initiative dedicated to workforce development and data access.

On the civil-society front stands Achaleke Christian. Through [Local Youth Corner Cameroon (LOYOC),](https://loyocameroon.org/achaleke-christain/?ref=bontehmagazine.com) the peace-builder was named Commonwealth Person of the Year in 2016 and was received by the Queen. Christian joined LOYOC as a volunteer in 2007 and rose through its ranks, and became executive director in 2020\. Under his leadership, Local Youth Corner has become one of the most influential youth-led organizations in Africa.

At just 22-years old, David Morfaw received the Queen Leaders Award in June 2016 for social-enterprise work, tackling malnutrition and hunger in Cameroon. Morfaw sat in the front row right next to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, and David Beckham for the official portrait. We were not able to find recent activities of David. 

Despite the queen not setting foot on Cameroonian soil, the relationship between Buckingham Palace and Yaounde was never entirely closed. The union is rooted in pre-independence statemen navigating the complexities of post-colonial diplomacy to young innovators disrupting healthcare, technology, and civil society. Every visit carried the quiet resilience and dynamic spirit of "Africa in miniature" directly to the throne.