🇬🇧 FROM THE RIVERS OF AFRICA TO ALLEGIANCE TO THE KING

One Incredible Journey

On 14 October 2026, I stood in Richmond upon Thames and swore allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III.

It was a moment of enormous personal significance. After a lifetime of extraordinary experiences, challenges and adventures spanning two continents, I had officially become a British citizen.

As I stood at the ceremony, I reflected on the remarkable journey that had brought me there.

From the crocodile-infested rivers of southern Africa to the historic banks of the River Thames, my life had travelled a path that I could never have imagined.

Yet what made this occasion particularly meaningful was that Richmond was not simply the place where I was becoming British.

It was also a place deeply connected to my family’s British heritage.

In many respects, my journey had brought me full circle.

My African Beginnings

I was born in Ndola, Zambia, in 1966 and grew up in Malawi, a country whose landscapes, people and wildlife would profoundly influence the direction of my life.

Africa was more than my birthplace. It was where I developed my independence, resilience and lifelong fascination with the natural world.

Growing up in southern Africa was an education unlike anything a classroom could provide.

The African bush taught me patience, observation and respect for nature. Its rivers, forests and wildlife became part of my everyday existence.

It was also a world where danger was never entirely absent.

In Malawi, communities living along rivers and lakes frequently encountered dangerous wildlife. Among the most formidable were Nile crocodiles, powerful predators capable of taking human lives.

My experiences with these extraordinary reptiles would eventually lead me into a profession that few people would ever contemplate.

I became a licensed crocodile hunter.

A Life Among Africa’s Most Dangerous Predators

For more than a decade, I worked as a licensed crocodile hunter in Malawi, dealing with dangerous crocodiles that threatened communities living along the country’s waterways.

This was not recreational trophy hunting.

It was demanding and sometimes dangerous work involving problem animals, often undertaken in difficult conditions and remote locations.

Working alongside experienced African colleagues and wildlife rangers, I spent countless hours navigating rivers, tracking crocodiles and responding to incidents involving attacks on people.

The Shire River and its surrounding wetlands became familiar territory.

I learned to appreciate the extraordinary patience, strength and survival instincts of Nile crocodiles.

These were not creatures to be underestimated.

A single mistake could have devastating consequences.

The experiences also gave me a deeper understanding of the complicated relationship between people and wildlife in Africa.

Conservation is important, but so is protecting human life.

Finding the right balance between the two remains one of Africa’s greatest wildlife-management challenges.

Years later, those experiences became the foundation of my first book, Memoirs of a Real Crocodile Hunter.

The stories were not invented adventures.

They were drawn from a life I had actually lived.

From Crocodile Hunter to Conservationist

My relationship with Africa’s wildlife did not end with crocodile hunting.

In 2005, I began another significant chapter when I established Mpatamanga Wildlife Ranch in Malawi.

Situated in a spectacular landscape overlooking the Shire River and Mpatamanga Gorge, the property became the focus of a long-term conservation commitment.

For more than twenty years, I devoted considerable personal resources and effort to protecting its indigenous woodland and natural environment.

Working with local scouts and community members, we undertook patrols, managed fire risks and worked to discourage illegal activities that threatened the landscape.

This was not a conservation project funded by international donors.

There was no substantial government financial assistance or NGO funding behind our efforts.

It was a personal commitment sustained over two decades.

A forestry inventory subsequently estimated that the property contained more than 500,000 indigenous trees, highlighting the ecological importance of the woodland we had worked to conserve.

The experience was not without considerable challenges, but it reinforced something I had come to believe strongly.

Conservation requires more than good intentions. It demands commitment, sacrifice and persistence.

That journey eventually inspired my second book, Mpatamanga: My Twenty-Year Fight for Africa’s Wild Places.

Together, my two books represent different but interconnected chapters of my African life.

One explores the dangerous world of crocodile hunting.

The other tells the story of my commitment to protecting a remarkable piece of African wilderness.

Discovering a New Life in Britain

Eventually, my life’s journey brought me to the United Kingdom.

Moving from Africa to Britain was a profound change.

The landscapes were different. The climate was different. The pace of life, traditions and everyday experiences required considerable adjustment.

I had exchanged the African bush for one of the world’s most historic and influential countries.

Yet Britain gradually became familiar.

I came to appreciate its institutions, history, cultural diversity and respect for the rule of law.

I also discovered a particularly meaningful connection to the country through my own family history.

My British ancestry has roots in Richmond upon Thames, an area whose historic relationship with the River Thames stretches back centuries.

There was something remarkable about finding myself living close to a place already woven into my family’s story.

Having spent so much of my earlier life beside African rivers, I now found myself regularly reflecting beside the Thames.

Two rivers, two continents and two very different chapters of my life.

Yet both had become important parts of who I am.

The Road to British Citizenship

Becoming a British citizen was not something that happened overnight.

Like many people who make Britain their permanent home, I had to navigate an immigration process requiring patience, documentation and a commitment to meeting the necessary requirements.

Every stage represented progress towards a goal that had become increasingly important to me.

In April 2025, I was granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the United Kingdom.

It was an important milestone.

For the first time, I had the security of knowing that Britain could remain my permanent home.

But I wanted to take that commitment further.

I wanted to become a British citizen.

For me, citizenship represented more than the practical advantages of holding a British passport.

It represented belonging, responsibility and a formal commitment to the country in which I had chosen to build my future.

When my citizenship application was approved in 2026, I knew that another defining moment in my life was approaching.

Swearing Allegiance to the King

On 14 October 2026, that moment finally arrived.

At my citizenship ceremony in Richmond upon Thames, I took the oath of allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III and made the required pledge of loyalty to the United Kingdom.

Standing there, I could not help reflecting on the contrasts in my life.

I had once navigated remote African waterways in pursuit of dangerous crocodiles.

I had spent years working to conserve indigenous woodland in Malawi.

I had written books documenting experiences that few people would ever encounter.

Now I was standing in Britain, formally becoming a citizen of the country connected to my family’s heritage.

Receiving my British citizenship certificate was a proud and deeply meaningful occasion.

It was not simply the conclusion of an immigration journey.

It was the beginning of another chapter in an already remarkable life.

Proudly British, Forever Connected to Africa

Some people might assume that becoming British means leaving my African identity behind.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Africa will always remain part of me.

It shaped my character, gave me extraordinary experiences and inspired the stories I continue to share with readers around the world.

I remain deeply connected to Malawi, its people, wildlife and landscapes.

My conservation work at Mpatamanga remains an important part of the legacy I hope to leave behind.

At the same time, I am immensely proud to be British.

I value the opportunities Britain has given me and the sense of belonging that comes with citizenship.

I see no contradiction between celebrating my African heritage and embracing my British identity.

Indeed, I believe the two complement each other.

My life has been shaped by different cultures, experiences and traditions, and I regard that diversity as a strength.

A New Chapter for The Real Crocodile Hunter

Becoming British also represents an important milestone in the continuing development of The Real Crocodile Hunter®.

What began as a collection of extraordinary experiences in Africa has evolved into a growing body of published work, conservation history and storytelling.

My ambition is to share those experiences with a wider international audience through books, documentaries and other media.

I want the stories to entertain, but also to encourage a deeper understanding of Africa’s wildlife, its people and the challenges of conservation.

Above all, I want them to remain authentic.

There is no need to invent adventures when real life has already provided so many.

My journey from Africa to Britain has taught me that identity is not necessarily defined by a single country.

It can be shaped by the places we have lived, the people we have known, the challenges we have overcome and the values we choose to carry forward.

Today, I am proud to call Britain my home.

But wherever life takes me, the rivers, forests and extraordinary wildlife of Africa will never be far from my thoughts.

From the crocodile-filled waters of Malawi to the historic River Thames, my journey has been anything but ordinary.

And I believe some of its most exciting chapters are still waiting to be written.

I was born in Africa. My roots brought me to Britain. Today, I am proudly British. 🇬🇧

Ian Bartlett

British Author | Licensed Crocodile Hunter | Conservationist

The Real Crocodile Hunter®

https://ianbartlett.co.uk

Discover my books, African adventures and conservation journey:

🌍 https://therealcrocodilehunter.com

🌿 https://mpatamangawildliferanch.com

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