Princess Anne visits Warwick for 50th anniversary

As Warwick hit 50, a former Olympian and Royal came to wish the University a happy birthday.

Princess Anne made an appearance at Warwick’s Digi Lab Building to commemorate the University receiving the Royal Charter of Incorporation to form as a University from her Mother, the Queen herself, half a century ago.

The occasion was immortalised by a foundation stone of elegant black marble, whose home will be the new Teaching and Learning Building, scheduled to open in 2016.

Attendees included university officials such as Vice-chancellor Nigel Thrift, the Lord Mayor, Professor Michael Scott and WMG Chairman Lord Bhattacharyya, as well as multiple Sabbatical Officers and Students’ Union (SU) representatives.

SU president Isaac Leigh commented: “She was so down to Earth and showed a particular interest in the sporting side of Warwick.”

Princess Anne has a gold medal in individual eventing in the European championships as an equestrian, as well as being the first royal to compete in the Olympic games.

Photo : Warwick SU

Isaac commented that student would not have known about the visit as royal visits had to be kept confident: “The confidentiality surrounding a royal visit did mean I couldn’t tell any of my friends or family about it for a week– and hiding my excitement was quite difficult at the time!

He added: “Oh, and unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any selfies or ‘pose’ in photos with the Princess.”

As well as discussing the visit, Isaac also talked about the 50th anniversary of our still relatively young university: “Warwick has come such a massive way – it’s a modern university that is always improving, always adapting to the ever-changing world around us. It might not have the old traditions that universities like Oxbridge and Durham have had for centuries, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be just as exceptional and I think we are doing well in so many areas.

“With all the 50-year anniversary events coming up, (such as Festival of the Imagination), this is a great year to be at Warwick!”