The University of Surrey celebrates 50 years of The Duke of Kent’s Chancellorship

The Duke succeeded Lord Robens, the University's inaugural Chancellor, following recommendations made at a special Senate meeting on 1 July 1976, with the appointment ratified by University Court on 17 July. The then Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anthony Kelly FRS, announced it at that afternoon's degree conferment ceremony. 

Over the five decades since, The Duke has been a regular visitor to Surrey's Stag Hill and Manor Park campuses, most often for the summer undergraduate and postgraduate graduation ceremonies. He has also taken part in some of the University's defining moments – including the opening of the Surrey Research Park in the 1980s, the opening of the Duke of Kent Building in 2000 and the launch of the Institute for People-Centred AI at St James's Palace in November 2021. 

Earlier this year, The Duke was joined by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh for a tour of the Surrey Space Centre. A fortnight later, he returned to campus for the formal installation of Professor Stephen Jarvis as the sixth President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey. 

The Duke of Kent joined Queen Elizabeth II on campus on three occasions. The first came in March 1992, when Queen Elizabeth II visited Surrey for a service of thanksgiving at Guildford Cathedral marking the University's silver jubilee and the centenary of the founding of Battersea Polytechnic Institute in 1891 – the University's forerunner. The Duke accompanied Queen Elizabeth II on a tour of the campus beforehand, taking in the Centre for Satellite Engineering, now the Surrey Space Centre, and an exhibition of the University's latest research. 

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke returned together in December 1998, this time with Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. On that visit, Queen Elizabeth II presented Professor Sir Martin Sweeting with the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement for his pioneering work on small satellites. Queen Elizabeth II's last visit to the University was in 2015, when she was accompanied by Prince Philip and The Duke of Kent to open the School of Veterinary Medicine.