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HRH The Princess Royal
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is honoured and delighted to announce that HRH The Princess Royal has agreed to succeed HRH The Duke of Edinburgh as President of the Commission. Prince Philip became President in November 1965 and since then he has taken an active interest in the Commission's work, being a source of encouragement and support both to the Commission and to its award holders.
Sir Alan Rudge, Chairman of the Royal Commission said, "For the past 46 years Prince Philip has taken a great interest in the work of the Commission and its future strategy. On many occasions he has encouraged the Commission to examine whether it is best meeting the needs of manufacturing industry. The developments to our awards programme which have resulted from this owe much to his personal involvement and we are very grateful for all that he has done for the Commission. As we look to the future the Commissioners are delighted to welcome The Princess Royal as our tenth President and we very much look forward to working with her."
The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 has been privileged to enjoy almost unbroken royal patronage since it was first established by HRH Prince Albert in January 1850. As its first President, Prince Albert took a personal interest in organising the Great Exhibition and in the purchase and development of the Commission's South Kensington estate. It is this and subsequent judicious investments which enable the Commission to distribute some £2m in awards and grants each year.
The Bells Ring out for Albert
The Royal Consort whose vision created the world's most significant cultural quarter was celebrated on the 150th anniversary of his death with a special bell-ringing in the area.
Prince Albert was the man behind the Great Exhibition of 1851, the world's first international trade fair, held in Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. It was Albert's determination to use the profits of the exhibition to ‘increase the means of industrial education' that led to the purchase of an estate in South Kensington on which the Victoria and Albert, Science and Natural History Museums as well as Imperial College, other Colleges and the Royal Albert Hall now stand.
To mark Albert's extraordinary legacy, the 1851 Royal Commission1 (which continues to own the freehold of much of the South Kensington estate and today supports science and engineering research) sponsored a special peal of the bells at Imperial College London's Queen's Tower between 1pm and 2pm on 14 December 2011 - the 150th anniversary of the Prince's death.
‘Without Prince Albert's extraordinary vision, the great institutions that now comprise the Exhibition Road Cultural Group might never have come into existence,' stated Nigel Williams, Secretary of the 1851 Royal Commission. ‘His legacy has created a cultural quarter in South Kensington that is unparalleled today in its diversity - from world-leading scientific institutions to major arts, design and learning institutions - while the Commission he established to organise the Great Exhibition continues to promote industrial education.
‘It is only fitting,' Williams added, ‘that on the 150th anniversary of Prince Albert's death we should celebrate his legacy with a special peal from the belfry of Queen's Tower. The tower was built to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and the bells (each named after members of the royal family) now toll on various royal anniversaries throughout the year. We hope the bell peal will be a moment to reflect on the great gift Prince Albert bestowed not just on South Kensington but on the world.'
Acclaimed physicist wins the 2011 Edinburgh Award
The winner of the 2011 Edinburgh Award is Professor Peter Higgs, renowned theoretical physicist and retired professor from The University of Edinburgh and 1851 alumnus.
Professor Higgs will be presented with an engraved Loving Cup at a ceremony in early 2012 where previous award winners and young achievers from across the city will be invited to attend.
He will have a mould of his handprints taken, which will be engraved - and immortalised - on a flagstone in the City Chambers quadrangle.
Lord Provost George Grubb said: "The Edinburgh Award enables the people of Edinburgh to pay a lasting tribute to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the city through their work or achievements in recent years. I am delighted to present this year's award to Professor Peter Higgs whose proposal of the Higgs boson has not only made him an international success, but has also significantly advanced the study of particle physics.
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