Sing for the King
Professor Paul Mealor has composed a piece of music that will be played at the coronation of King Charles III.
The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III
His Majesty’s interest in sustainability and the environment has been an inspiration to many over the years, and as a University we share his commitment to these issues through our research and our teaching. We hope to have the privilege of welcoming him and our Chancellor back to the University in the future to hear more about our work in these important areas.
As an ancient institution, the University of Aberdeen belongs to what are called the ‘privileged bodies’ of the UK. This means it is one of 27 culturally significant organisations from across the UK given an opportunity to present their loyal addresses to the monarch.
The tradition, which dates back to the 17th century, sees representatives deliver the address in person. University Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor George Boyne, delivered the Aberdeen address on March 9, 2023, to His Majesty King Charles III, ahead of his Coronation.
His Majesty responded to the loyal addresses by saying the opportunity ‘allows me to express my personal appreciation as well as my admiration for all the work that you and your colleagues continue to do’.
He praised the privileged bodies for advancing ‘our knowledge and understanding of how we relate to each other and the world around us’ citing shared values of ‘mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, fairness and friendship’.
The Aberdeen loyal address highlighted the connections between the University and The Sovereign, both past and present.
University of Aberdeen: Loyal Address
May it please Your Majesty
The University of Aberdeen presents its loyal address to Your Majesty.
We offer our sincerest condolences on the loss of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose memory is held in great affection at this University.
We wish you a long and happy reign with Her Majesty The Queen, the University’s Chancellor, at your side.
The University of Aberdeen has been connected to your Royal House since its earliest foundation in 1495 thanks to the assistance of your ancestor King James IV of Scotland and this strong relationship continues today.
The University was established to be ‘open to all and dedicated to the pursuit of truth in the service of others’ and that defines our actions and underpins our ethos, just as a sense of duty and devotion to a life of service underpins the actions of your Royal House.
We remember with great fondness the visits of Her Late Majesty on the occasion of our Quincentenary in 1995, to address the Scottish Parliament when it met at King’s College in 2002 and for the official opening of our Sir Duncan Rice Library in 2012.
These personal connections are further strengthened by Her Majesty The Queen who has generously served as our Chancellor for more than a decade. Over this period, she has raised the profile of many important areas of University research, including innovative interdisciplinary research into osteoarthritis, and has been a passionate supporter of University music and other cultural endeavours.
We also offer our gratitude that on a number of occasions Your Majesty has personally attended University events and performances, including your presence on campus to see restoration work to several historic buildings in 2009 and your visit to view our collections held in Marischal College in 2019.
We would be honoured to welcome you again to see recent improvements to ensure our ancient buildings are preserved for generations to come, while providing a 21st century research and learning environment, as part of the redevelopment of our King’s Quarter in Old Aberdeen.
It is our hope that the strong ties between Your Majesty and this University will continue, and we offer the congratulations of the University of Aberdeen and our best wishes for Your Majesty’s reign for many years to come."
