Students spent all day yesterday in the (spiritual) company of Kings and Queens, on their excursion to Windsor Castle. The palace, originally built under William the Conqueror in the 11th century, and re-envisioned in the 17th century with the best of Baroque, Rococo and Gothic interiors, is now the preferred weekend home of Queen Elizabeth II.
St George’s Chapel, a royal peculiar (in that it is under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch rather than the diocese) and the chapel of the Order of the Garter (regarded as the most prestigious order of chivalry in Britain), were much admired; as was Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, and the overwhelming splendour of the State Apartments. Architectural and artistic appetites sated, students strolled around the town centre. Some went shopping, and made some choice purchases― a Windsor Castle apron, for example.
The prize for the best bon mot of the day goes to Harry, who coined the term ‘tanyard’, to describe the tan lines students were getting from wearing their lanyards (ORA mainstays) in the summer sun.