University delivers Loyal Address to King Charles III
A delegation from the University of London, led by Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Thomson CBE, attended Buckingham Palace on Thursday 9 March to deliver a Loyal Address to HM the King.
The University of London is one of 27 Privileged Bodies – organisations and institutions that are culturally significant and have a historic right to present a Loyal Address to the Sovereign. To mark the King’s accession, each of the 27 Privileged Bodies presented a ‘Loyal Address’ in the form of a short speech that served to ‘emphasise and reaffirm loyalty to the monarch’.
In the Address, Professor Thomson highlighted the work of the University and its Federation Members in delivering world-leading research and education to over 240,000 learners and the major contributions staff and students make to business, society and cultural activities in London and the wider country.
The Address also drew on the longstanding relationship between the University of London and the monarchy, with Professor Thomson thanking Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, who has been Chancellor of the University for 42 years.
Responding to the Privileged Bodies, HM The King remarked: “Whether in the fields of education, science, or the arts, or whether as representatives of the faith communities or of civic organisations, you advance our knowledge and our understanding of how we relate to each other and the world about us.
“You underpin the very foundations upon which our country is built and help to construct a framework of excellence and achievement within which our civil society functions and our national narrative can be formed.”
The last time the University was invited to deliver a Loyal Address was in 2012, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
