Prince Philip dines tonight as a guest of honour in Corpus College, marking his first official public engagement since spending Christmas in a very different Cambridge context, when a heart scare led to his admission into Papworth Hospital over the festive season.

Half an hour before the Duke of Edinburgh’s anticipated arrival, chilly camera crews lined the street outside the college, with police cars surreptitiously (as surreptitious as fluorescent police cars can be) parked down Bene’t Street.

The dinner, held by Cambridge University, marks the centenary of Captain Scott’s expedition to Antarctica.

Those in attendance with the prince include Scott’s two granddaughters, Dafila Scott and Nicola Starks, along with adventurer Ranulph Fiennes and Prince Albert of Monacho, who apparently has a strong interest in polar exploration.

The private fundraising event for 100 guests is in aid of the university’s Scott Polar Research Institute.