The Princess Royal joins UCL’s 200th anniversary celebrations

The Princess Royal visited UCL in her role as Chancellor of the University of London, of which UCL is a member institution. The visit comes almost 100 years after King George V and Queen Mary visited UCL to mark the institution's centenary in June 1927.  

Her Royal Highness was welcomed to UCL’s newly remodelled quad by Professor Jennifer Hudson (Vice-Provost, Faculties), Charu Gorasia (Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President , Finance, Commercial and Estates), Professor Dame Hazel Genn (Pro-Provost, Bicentennial) and Lucy Briggs (Programme Director, Bicentennial), taking time to view the new bicentennial commemorative stone, before proceeding into the Wilkin’s Building to meet the teams behind the UCL200 programme. 

In UCL’s remodelled North Cloister, Her Royal Highness met with representatives of the UCL200 programme, including Professor Dame Sonia Boyce, who will create a legacy commission as part of UCL’s dedicated public art programme. The Princess Royal learned about UCL’s history, from its architectural heritage to its vibrant student-life traditions, as she viewed items from UCL Special Collections. Her Royal Highness was also shown footage of King George V and Queen Mary’s centenary visit in 1927. 

Her Royal Highness visited UCL’s Octagon gallery at the heart of the Two Centuries Here exhibition. The exhibition explores UCL’s past, present and future as London’s first and largest university. This free exhibition considers UCL’s progressive origins, far-reaching impact, global community and vibrant future through photography, objects, artefacts, stories, dialogue, and interactive experiences.    

Within the Octagon Gallery, The Princess viewed the Crookes tube that led to the UK’s first clinical X-ray, the glass tubes used by Sir William Ramsay in his discovery of the nobel gases and the modern UCL-Ventura CPAP device critical in the fight against COVID-19. 

During her visit, Her Royal Highness met UCL Students’ Union President, Anam Choudhary, and Activities and Engagement Officer, Ana Boikova, who shared about the many exciting Students’ Union events taking place this year, including the UCL200 Summer Festival and UCL! The Musical, for which Her Royal Highness was treated to a preview performance. 

The Princess Royal viewed the UCL Arts & Humanities Community Cloth, a ‘family tree’ design that features all 10 of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities' departments. The project, which began in early 2025, has run in collaboration with Stitch-School and the finished artwork will be displayed on UCL’s campus. 

Her Royal Highness met representatives of UCL Estates, Burwell Architects and Neilcott Construction who led the transformation of UCL’s main Quad and Wilkins Building as part of the Bicentennial Physical Legacy Works.  Her Royal Highness then joined a group of over fifty students in UCL’s South Cloister to unveil a plaque to commemorate the official reopening of the Cloisters.  

In UCL’s Japanese Garden, The Princess Royal viewed some of the Faces of UCL portraits and profiles on display. Faces of UCL is a powerful snapshot of the people who have contributed to 200 years of ground-breaking research, innovation, education and impact at UCL. Figures include chemistry innovator and UCL’s first female Professor, Kathleen Lonsdale, and England’s early international students such as F.T Cheng, the first Chinese person to earn a doctorate in law from the University of London. 

Her Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet some of the contemporary Faces of UCL including: Global leader in gene therapy, Professor Amit Nathwani; medical student and GB weightlifting champion, Deborah Alawode; Technical Skills Development Hub Manager, Isabel Goncalves Cattuzo; Professor Qing Gu OBE, who is leading large-scale professional development programmes for UK teachers; Freya Proudman, a Human Rights PhD student who has led multiple student social justice initiatives; and Mohamed Osman, who works with schools in east London to enhance learning and improve access to the university.

Before departing, Her Royal Highness came face-to-face with one of UCL’s best known historical figures and the university’s ‘spiritual founder’, Jeremy Bentham. The beloved figure of Bentham, known as an auto-icon, consists of Jeremy Bentham's preserved skeleton, dressed in his own clothes, and surmounted by a wax head.  Principal Research Fellow at the Bentham Project, Dr Tim Causer (UCL Laws) told The Princess about Bentham’s own philosophy and his place in UCL’s history. 

On departure, Matthew Poon (UCL Bartlett School of Architecture) gifted Her Royal Highness with a copy of UCL at 200: Two Centuries of Insight and Impact. Matthew’s photograph was selected as the cover image for the publication after he won a university‑wide student photo competition. 

Her Royal Highness’s visit follows UCL’s 200th Birthday on 11th February, which kicked off the bicentennial celebrations with UCL Illuminated, an immersive sound and light extravaganza projected onto UCL’s iconic portico. UCL has also launched Here, it will happen, a new philanthropic and engagement campaign that sets out its ambitions to solve global health, societal, climate and education challenges in our institution’s next century.  

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UCL President and Provost, Dr Michael Spence said: “Almost 100 years since King George V and Queen Mary visited UCL as part of our centenary celebrations, it was fitting that The Princess Royal, as Chancellor of the University of London, could re-trace their steps and join us as we mark this extra-special bicentenary year.  

““A lot has changed in the two centuries since UCL was founded, and indeed since Their Majesties' centenary visit, but here, the founding principles that make UCL unique still resonate. For 200 years, UCL has been a place for academic excellence, innovation and diversity of thought. We have challenged conventional thinking and pushed the boundaries of what a university can be.” 

Professor Dame Hazel Genn (Pro-Provost, Bicentennial) said: “It was an honour to welcome The Princess Royal back to UCL in our bicentennial year and to involve her in our celebrations. Today, Her Royal Highness saw the collaboration, creativity and coordination involved in making UCL200 a success.  

“Her Royal Highness officially re-opened our newly refurbished spaces in the Wilkins Building, creating exceptional new areas for the entire UCL community and our visitors. These revitalised spaces ensure that, as we enter our third century, we have inclusive, inspiring environments in which to gather, collaborate and showcase the very best of UCL. 

“"During the visit, The Princess Royal explored our new free exhibition, Two Centuries Here, where she learned about UCL’s innovative and progressive values, our game‑changing scientific breakthroughs, and our 33 Nobel Prize winners (with more to come). We hope her visit encourages others to come to campus, experience our history firsthand and be part of UCL’s ongoing story. 

"For 200 years, UCL has challenged conventions and expanded access to knowledge. Today, we remain a place of brave ideas and extraordinary opportunity. Over the coming year, we will celebrate UCL’s founding values, achievements and global impact, and look ahead to the future, ensuring we continue to shape a better world.”   

Links

• UCL’s Bicentenary
• UCL Special Collections
• Two Centuries Here: The UCL200 exhibition
• Students' Union UCL
• UCL Arts & Humanities Community Cloth project
•  Faces of UCL
• The Bentham Project
• UCL at 200: Two Centuries of Insight and Impact 
•  Here, it will happen philanthropic campaign 

Images

• The Princess Royal views the UCL Art & Humanities Community Cloth. 
• The Princess Royal, Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Professor Jennifer Hudson, Charu Gorasia  and Lucy Briggs view the commemorative stone in the UCL quad.
• The Princess Royal views items from UCL Special Collections.
• The Princess Royal and Professor Dame Hazel Genn walk with the UCL Eye in the background.
• The Princess Royal unveils a plaque to mark her visit.
• The Princess Royal meets Professor Amit Nathwani, Deborah Alawode, Mohamed Osman and Kailey Nolan and learns about Faces of UCL.
• Principal Research Fellow at the Bentham Project, Dr Tim Causer, tells The Princess Royal about Jeremy Bentham.

Image credit: UCL

Media Contact

Sophie Hunter  

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E: sophie.hunter@ucl.ac.uk