On behalf of the Queen’s community of staff, students and alumni, I wish to pass on my sincerest condolences to Her Majesty The Queen and the wider royal family on the passing of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

At Queen’s, we are proud of our connections to the Royal Family and their support for the University since the Queen’s Colleges were formally brought into existence on 30 December 1845 and named in honour of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria.  In 2020, we celebrated 175 years since the establishment of the Queen’s Colleges and we are enormously proud that HRH, The Duke of Edinburgh joined us for many significant milestones in our history.

Most recently, we were honoured that both HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited Queen’s in March 2008 to mark 100 years since the granting of the charter in 1908 by Edward VII, with the Queen’s College becoming The Queen’s University of Belfast.  This was a memorable occasion, with our royal visitors taking the time to meet many staff and students involved in successful Queen’s Anniversary Prize projects and attending a celebratory lunch in the University Great Hall.  

This was not the first time we had the pleasure of welcoming the royal visitors, with both HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visiting Queen’s in 1953 as part of the Coronation Tour, and again in July 1966, when they opened new playing fields at Malone and the Social Sciences Building in the Quad.   HRH The Duke of Edinburgh also visited the University in September 1952 for the British Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting and again in May 1959, when he officially opened the David Keir Building.  

His commitment to young people and the importance of education in society are well recognised and we at Queen’s, feel honoured that he has been part of our history, joining us for many key moments in the life of the University.  The warmth of the tributes over recent days demonstrates the impact he had on so many lives and for any staff, students or alumni of Queen’s wishing to leave their own personal tribute, this can done so via the Belfast City Council Book of Condolence which can be accessed via this link www.belfastcity.gov.uk/condolences.

Professor Ian Greer DL
President and Vice-Chancellor