Following on from June’s Platinum Jubilee article, which showcased the visit of the Queen to MGS, this week we will take a look at MGS encounters with royalty.
The first known link we have documented in the archive was in 1863, when it seems that the boys had sent a petition directly to Queen Victoria, requesting an extra week of holiday to celebrate the marriage of Princess Alice to Prince Louis of Hesse. The Queen replied through her secretary George Grey, and his assistant H. Haddington to the Dean of Manchester, granting their request. They also tried their luck further by requesting another week off school to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 21st birthday. This, however, was rebuffed in a postscript, where it was noted that no holiday had been granted to any other Public school for this reason. To read more about the letter, click here.
The next royal link dates from 1873. We have a letter in the archive from the young future George V to Lord Charles Beresford. The only clue as to an MGS link is the reference to an owl. Read more here
Our first royal visit came in 1920 when the then Prince of Wales (later to be Edward VIII) met boys and staff at Long Millgate, whilst visiting Chethams.
Ulula reported the fleeting visit: “On July 7th the Prince of Wales paid a rapid visit to the Chetham Hospital, and, with others, we assembled in the courtyard to greet him. On coming out of the library he spoke a few friendly words to the Captain before hastening off to the next item on his crowded programme.”
It was another four decades before another royal visit, with Queen visiting in 1965. To read more about this visit, follow these links:
The Princess Royal visit the School briefly in 1997, with Ulula reporting “The Princess Royal made a private visit to the school in February and hosted a fund-raising event in the Paton Library for the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. She was welcomed to the School by the High Master and the School Officers.”
The following year, The Prince of Wales visited as part of his patronage of the Bursary Fund. As Ulula noted “To have been visited by the monarch, in 1965, and by both the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal in the last two years, is an achievement for any school.”
During his visit, the Prince of Wales toured the School and met a number of boys, staff and Old Mancunians. He addressed the School community in the Memorial Hall and said:
“I am enormously proud to be associated with this particular Appeal for the Manchester Grammar School. I’ve heard a great deal about the School and the moment I heard what the aims of the Appeal are, I must say I saw the point at once. The School has always emphasised the fact that the education which is provided is for everybody, regardless of background, colour, creed or whatever and the Appeal Jis designed to enable this particular great tradition to continue. I do hope and pray that this Appeal will be a great success. All I can say is that I will do whatever I can to help. I’m here today to be able to wish you well, to offer my congratulations and encouragement to all those involved in organising and leading the Appeal, and to thank all those who’ve already given so much. I look forward to seeing some of you (when I’m old and hobbling about on two sticks), being very important in the future of this country and being a credit not only to this school but to your families and of course to Manchester. This School has produced some very remarkable people and we can ill afford to do without them as a nation, so what you’re learning here is going to be of enormous importance in many ways to the life of our country“
Our final and most recent link to royalty comes in the form of a piece of wedding cake.
Current High Master, Dr. Martin Boulton, attended the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011, as part of his previous role as Deputy Headmaster at Westminster School. He donated the piece of cake, invitation and order of service to the MGS archive.
Hoots from the archive 
What an interesting article including 3 Princes of Wales – one past, one present and one future. I assume Dr. Boulton received the wedding cake through the post some time after attending the event.
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Thanks Michael – yes he said he received an intriguing parcel a few weeks later which turned out to be the cake!
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