The Queen will be conducting a visit to Royal Holloway on Friday 14th of March.
She will be accompanied by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, to present a prestigious music award to the department.
The ‘Regius Professorship’ dates back to the 16th century and this is the first time it has been awarded to a Department of Music.
Principal, Professor Paul Layzell says: ‘It is a great honour that our Department of Music has been given such world-class recognition, confirming its position as one of the best in the country.’
On the day, students will be able to stand outside the north tower where they can watch Her Majesty arrive in her car. The ceremony will be followed by a private reception in the Picture Gallery afterwards. While this will be a mostly private event, the Student’s Union Sabbatical Officers have already been invited, as well as a few other students. However, the final list of invitations will not be confirmed by the Palace until 2 weeks before the event. So if you haven’t received your invitation yet, don’t worry, there still might be a chance.
Royal Holloway has always been proud to have strong Royal links; our current Monarch last visited in 1986, and most famously of all, Queen Victoria presided over the official opening of the University in 1886.
However, not all students are happy with the Royal visit. The Left Forum and the Conservative society will be organising a debate on the Monarchy and their role in the 21st century as a reaction to the visit. The college are hoping that any unrest from students will not interrupt the day.
Article: Corinna Taylor
Photographs: lordwestover.blogspot.com (Main); bbc.co.uk (Featured).