Dons gather as University announces accession of King Charles III

Crowds applauded and shouted ‘God save the King’

The ceremony is likely to be one of Toope's last high-profile appearances as vice-chancellor before he steps down at the end of the monthUniversity of Cambridge

by Daniel Starkey

This article is 3 years old

Tuesday September 13 2022, 11:57am

Charles III has been proclaimed King by the University of Cambridge, in a ceremony outside Senate House.

The declaration, using the same wording as the others made across the country, was read by outgoing vice-chancellor Stephen Toope at 1pm on Sunday (11/9).

Another declaration was simultaneously read out in front of Cambridge’s Guildhall by the high sheriff of Cambridgeshire.

The University, Toope said, is entitled to read such proclamations, being one of the privileged bodies holding “a historic right to deliver loyal addresses to our sovereigns on certain occasions.”

Toope also noted the historical significance of the event. A proclamation, he observed, was last made in the same location in 1952, by then-vice-chancellor Sir Lionel Whitby, upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.

Attended by a large crowd of University members and their families, the ceremony concluded with shouts of “God save the King”, followed by a performance of the national anthem by the choir of Great St Mary’s Church.

The proclamation was greeted with applause from the crowd, as the vice-chancellor and other participants in the ceremony departed.

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