A young woman living in a woodland encampment near Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders, has said she is pregnant and is acting as a surrogate for the self-proclaimed queen of a group that calls itself the Kingdom of Kubala. The trio — a man who styles himself as a king, his wife and a woman described by the group as a handmaiden — have set up a makeshift camp on land near the town and say they are reclaiming what they call ancestral territory.
The camp members were identified by the couple who lead the group as Kofi Offeh, 36, from Ghana, who calls himself King Atehene; his wife Jean Gasho, 42, from Zimbabwe, who calls herself Queen Nandi; and the handmaiden, 21-year-old Asnat, born Kaura Taylor in the United States. In a video posted to social media, Taylor said, "I am the inferior mistress and I play as a surrogate for the queen." Taylor's family have issued public appeals for her to return home, and her mother, Melba Whitehead, told reporters, "This cult is crazy. They pose a threat to everyone around them." Whitehead also said her daughter had mental health problems and had earlier hoped to study law.
According to relatives and published accounts, Taylor left Texas with her one-year-old daughter about three months ago before appearing with the group in Scotland. The landowner where the camp is situated, identified as David Palmer, has described the occupants as a "nuisance" and is seeking their eviction through the courts. A warrant for removal was being pursued at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, and the group had originally camped on land owned by Scottish Borders Council.
Offeh has repeatedly dismissed external authority over the land, saying the group follows the laws of a creator and that "everything belongs to the ones who made it." He has also asserted a religious lineage, telling followers he is a messiah and a descendant of the biblical King David. Footage shared online by the group shows members bathing in a stream, chanting around a fire, dressing in foraged leaves and performing rituals the trio describe as reconnecting with nature and reclaiming a claimed heritage.
The group's presence has drawn both curiosity and concern locally. Police and council officials said they were monitoring the situation while legal proceedings over land rights continued. The landowner and some nearby residents have complained about the camp, and judicial action to enforce eviction was under way. At least one report said the camp had been targeted by people who threw stones at tents, raising safety concerns for the occupants.
Members of the public have travelled to visit the camp after seeing it online; one woman who said she had come from Birmingham told a news outlet she had spent hours talking with the group and was invited to stay. Local reaction has been mixed, with some residents objecting to the encampment on legal and safety grounds and others expressing curiosity about the group's claims and lifestyle.
Taylor's family say she was a chess prodigy in her youth and described a different life trajectory before she left the United States. They said she had not been legally reported missing and that she was an adult, echoing a video message from the camp in which Taylor said, "To the UK authorities, obviously I am not missing. Leave me alone. I'm an adult, not a helpless child." Authorities have not publicly confirmed the pregnancy Taylor reported in social media posts.
The Kingdom of Kubala's claim that its members are descended from a "black Jewish tribe" and that their ancestors lost land centuries ago has not been substantiated in public records. Officials handling the land dispute said any claims to ownership would be addressed through legal channels. The court action and the landowner's eviction application were the latest developments as local officials, legal authorities and the family of the young woman sought clarity over the group's status and the welfare of those living in the camp.