The 1896 Royal Visit

Unlike King’s, which could boast that ‘Queen Elizabeth slept here’ (and for several nights), or Trinity, home to Princes, Caius has never been one of the royal Colleges. Our College could not even claim a noble founder. Nevertheless, on one occasion under Queen Victoria, Caius played host to the Prince of Wales, soon to become King Edward VII.

The Prince of Wales had entered Trinity in 1861, in the wake of an early Prince William, admitted in 1787. His military enthusiasm and Cambridge connections meant that he became the first Honorary Colonel of the University Rifle Volunteers, and even subscribed money for their new firing range. As absentee Colonel, the Prince went on receiving invitations to the annual inspection. These normally had to be turned down. But an exception was made in 1896, when the commanding officer happened to be the Revd. ES Roberts (1865), Classics Fellow and future Master of Caius. Roberts had commanded the Corps with considerable success for seven years, receiving the Volunteer Long Service Medal in 1895, and was about to retire from his part-time military role. On 15 May the Prince came by train from King’s Cross, for a daytime visit beginning with lunch in Caius. His equerry was General Ellis.

He was welcomed at the station by ES Roberts, booted and spurred in his Colonel’s uniform, and General Burnett, commanding the Eastern District. The 100-man guard of honour was from the Suffolk Volunteer Regiment. The Prince was given an enthusiastic reception by the Cambridge crowds, with much cheering, and was escorted through the streets by a detachment of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars, with the Sikh Prince Frederick Duleep Singh as second-in-command. When they reached the College, the Prince, immensely stylish in his Field-Marshal’s full-dress uniform with plumes and baton, was greeted by the Master, Dr Norman Ferrers (1846), a distinguished mathematician and former Vice-Chancellor. But unfortunately, Dr Ferrers was by now so handicapped by arthritis that he could make only a token appearance – although his wife Emily Ferrers did attend the lunch. That left ES Roberts, who was one of the College Tutors, as well as Colonel of the Volunteers, to hold the fort.

As a result, Mrs Roberts was the Prince’s hostess and it was she who welcomed him to an ivy-clad Caius Court, where members of the College in their gowns were drawn up on one lawn and the luncheon guests on the other. She later wrote that ‘it was my part to go forward alone, in full public view (an ordeal for a shy woman), curtsey low, and shake hands. As I did so, the Prince said to me, with his usual sympathy, “I’m so glad it’s a fine day”.’ After the guests had been introduced, they briefly adjourned to the Tutor’s house (the present-day Colyton Hall, with part of the present Senior Parlour and adjacent rooms), before Mrs Roberts asked the Prince to take her into luncheon.

The Prince had been asked beforehand whether he would like a large luncheon party in Hall, or a small one in the Combination Room. He chose the second, and the resulting lunch for twenty was perhaps small by Victorian standards. Among army guests were the inspecting officer, Col. Henry Corry, and an array of generals, though not the absent Corps Adjutant, Major Earle, whom the Prince praised in his speech as ‘the second Founder of the Corps’. The academic guests included the Vice-Chancellor (Charles

Smith, Master of Sidney Sussex) with his wife; the Master of Trinity, Montagu Butler; the celebrated historian, Lord Acton; and Sir Richard Jebb, the Regius Professor of Greek (builder of Springfield, which Caius now owns). At luncheon the Prince sat between Mr and Mrs Roberts. He ‘was most kind in trying to find subjects to interest me’ (Mrs Roberts wrote), ‘but he and my husband talked a great deal, and with a friendly ease.’ And happily ‘the College chef put forth his best endeavours, and the result, I think, was excellent.’ Not for nothing did Christopher Smart refer to the College as ‘culinary Caius’.

After lunch the Prince and his staff drove off through Trinity to the parade ground in Grange Road. The Prince was very familiar with these events, having witnessed the first Cambridge inspection in 1861, held on Parker’s Piece. He had even once commanded the combined Oxford and Cambridge Volunteers at the Volunteer Review in Hyde Park in 1864. On this occasion (in the words of the Cambridge Chronicle) ‘there was a ceremonial parade, and then the Battalion went through certain manoeuvres, and ended with an attack formation. The Battalion was then formed up, and, deploying into line, advanced in review order, and gave the royal salute. A hollow square was formed, and His Royal Highness briefly addressed the men’. In his speech the Prince said ‘when Colonel Roberts invited me to come down to inspect you, I had little doubt that I should be most gratified with your appearance and your drill. I can only say that I have not been disappointed... Let me congratulate you, Colonel Roberts, upon the very efficient regiment you command... I am glad to be here today and I feel proud to be Honorary Colonel of this regiment, as I have been for many years... What I have seen today is highly creditable to this University, of which I have been so long a member.’

This stirring display left no time for returning to Caius. The Prince departed from the parade ground in a carriage placed at his disposal, in time to catch the 4.53 train back to London. Given that he had only reached Cambridge at 1.27, with a festive lunch before the inspection set for 3.00, the timetable must have been extremely tight. But apparently, all the elaborate arrangements ran smoothly and with gratifying efficiency. Mrs Roberts wrote that ‘later we had kind appreciative letters from the Prince’s Secretary. We heard (not officially, but reliably) that my husband would have been knighted, but that he happened to be a clergyman.’