With the coronation looming on Saturday, we take a look at the visit of the then Prince of Wales to MGS in April 1999. The previous year, Prince Charles had agreed to become the Patron of the Bursary Appeal:
“His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has accepted the title of Patron of the Manchester Grammar School Foundation Bursary Appeal. We are immensely grateful to the Prince of Wales for his support. In being willing to offer places to boys from some of the most challenging inner-city areas in our country, what MGS is seeking to achieve has already been matched by the efforts of the Prince's Trust.”
Naturally, a visit was planned for the following year, and a full account was published in Ulula:
"The Prince of Wales, as Patron of the Foundation Bursary Appeal, visited the School on April 15th. Arriving in the Main Quad he was greeted by members of the Lower School before being welcomed by the Chairman of the Governors, Mr. Christopher Kenyon, and the High Master. After moving through the Display Area and the Bookshop, guided by pupils, he was welcomed to Lower School Assembly by the Lower Master, Rodger Alderson, who had taken the Queen round the Pool as Swimming Captain in 1965. Having heard notices and a report of the Under 12 Rugby season he addressed the boys. A visit to the Common Room, where he met Ian Bailey and the Common Room Officers who told him of the Staff's contribution to the Appeal, was followed by ten minutes in John Shoard's Fifth Form History lesson. Sitting next to Peter Goves, he took part in a discussion of the problems of peacekeeping from the League of Nations to the present. His next port of call was the Art Halls where he took a keen interest in the Pottery and saw boys of all ages painting and drawing.
But an important object of the visit was for him to meet some of those responsible for both running and supporting the Appeal. In the Library he was entertained by donors, among whom was Alan Garner, who has given the first year's performance rights to Holly From the Bongs to his old school.
In Main Assembly the Prince, having informed us that his sons had instructed him to "keep it short and be funny," spoke both of his school days in Australia and of the ability of the media to misinterpret his every doing. He went on:
"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."
Having unveiled a plaque, he was thanked by the School Captain who also presented him, for Princes William and Harry, with MGS 1st XI football shirts, signed by the team, as well as a brace of shirts from Manchesters City and United.
After chatting with members of the non-teaching staff in the Quad, he departed for Ducie High School where he toured the school, played the drums and met some of our boys who are involved in joint activities with pupils at Ducie. The Prince impressed all communities within the School with his genuine interest in and commitment to, the aims of the Appeal and his attachment to academic excellence."
To view a full gallery of images, follow this link: https://www.mgs-life.co.uk/article/visit-of-charles-1999
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