Exqueenly Good News

The Queen is set to visit Cambridge to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the University. 

The jam-packed day will start with a special ceremony at Senate House, where the Queen will designate a new Regius Professorship in botany. This will be the seventh Regius Professorship at Cambridge, adding to those in divinity, medicine, Hebrew, Greek, civil law and modern history. 

Next stop for Her Royal Highness will be to seal the final of the boxes filled with 800 ‘Letters to the Future.”

This scheme saw 800 letters penned, all of which will be stored in the University Library until Cambridge’s 900th anniversary in 2109. Among those who wrote were Vice Chancellor Alison Richard, staff from universities worldwide, Cambridge alumni and local children.

On her whistle-stop tour of the city, Queen Elizabeth II will be accompanied by her consort of 57 years, Prince Philip. 

The Duke of Edinburgh is the current Chancellor of Cambridge University, after he survived a 1999 attempt by students to oust him from the job.

Though the role is largely ceremonial, some students complained that notoriously un-PC Philip signified “the worst possible image as figurehead” for the University.

The gaffe-prone Prince hit the headlines just hours ago for putting his foot in his mouth at a Buckingham Palace conference for British Indians.

Prince Philip noted the name badge of businessman Atul Patel before telling him, “There’s a lot of your family in tonight”.

Patel took no offence from the daft remark, but the faux-pas could put Philip on best behaviour for the Royal trip. With jobs a top concern for students, hopefully the Price will be more sensitive than during the 1981 recession when he moaned, "Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed."

The date for the diary is November 19th, and Professor Richards has proclaimed a “scarlet day” to mark the visit. This symbol of special occasions allows academics to wear full hoods and festal gowns.

Also look out for the University flag flying from university buildings throughout the city.