A British cellist whose passport was mistakenly cancelled by the Home Office has confirmed a replacement has now arrived.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, 22, who performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, had sent off his passport as part of a visa application for overseas travel.
But the acclaimed musician discovered that the document had been cancelled on return, despite being valid until 2029, reports BirminghamLive.
Kanneh-Mason, whose father is Antiguan and mother is from Sierra Leone, was born and raised in Nottingham.
The Home Office has apologised for the error, saying the cancellation was a mistake and that he had been issued with a replacement passport.
Kanneh-Mason wrote on his Facebook page yesterday: “Applied for an additional British passport with the approval of Home Office to assist with applications for visas and international work permits in this post #Brexit #Covid world along with my sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.
“Appointments 15 mins apart, identical paperwork submitted. She receives original passport and second one within a week. Mine comes back cancelled 10 June (expiry 2029).
“Since then, despite constant calls I have NO explanation, NO forthcoming assistance and NO way of playing the engagements I am contracted to play. Ideas appreciated asap.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We apologise to Mr Kanneh-Mason for any inconvenience caused as a result of this incident, which was due to human error. We have now issued him with a replacement passport.”
This morning, he posted a follow-up captioned "thank you for all your help and support" with an image of his new passport.
Since appearing alongside his siblings on Britain's Got Talent in 2015, Kanneh-Mason has featured in a BBC Four documentary, released a number one classical music album and won two Brit awards.
He was also made an MBE in the 2020 New Year honours for services to music.
